


Dangerous Jealousy

by AngelLuckovich



Category: TsukiPro the Animation
Genre: Arguing, M/M, NSFW, characters might be OOC, mature content, otp
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-16
Updated: 2020-09-07
Packaged: 2020-09-14 09:21:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 32
Words: 125,797
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20272219
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AngelLuckovich/pseuds/AngelLuckovich
Summary: Part of being an idol is being able to participate in different productions. Thus, it has been decided that Dai must participate in a movie with the most famous model and actress of the moment. Even if Rikka knows he has to support Dai as his lover and coworker, he just does not feel alright with all this idea.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I've been postponing to post this, but now this is my way to try to forget about many issues going on and force myself to think about fics XD and apparently I'm gonna start with the dramatic stuff for SolidS, this might be the first one of a couple ideas I've been pushing to the back of my mind XD

**Dangerous Jealously**

As usual, they are coming back from the SoliRajji recording, tonight’ show was funny and vivid. As in every emission, Tsubasa has kept the mood up, Shiki has made the bad jokes, Rikka has provided the common sense when necessary; and Dai has been the target of the usual mocking. Now, they are in front of the dorms and Haiduki has already parked the car, but before they get off the car; the manager speaks up to give one last update.

“Before I forget, Shiki, the president gave the green light for the project while you were on the radio,” the bespectacled man speaks.

“I see; then, Dai,” the purple haired man calls the younger member of the unit, “you’ll be in the newest film produced by Hiwatari Minako.”

The other two members react with shocked expressions, that producer is known for given some ‘adult’ touch to her movies, taking the gravure part to the limits; most of the times. In the other hand, Dai blankly stares at Shiki, why didn’t they consult him if he will be ok with this work?

“Don’t panic, we were very specific that even if SolidS has an adult image, we do not want your image to be affected,” Haiduki quickly specifies.

“Besides, we will review the script and we will make sure that our conditions are met,” Shiki quickly adds.

“Then I believe I don’t have a saying on this, so I just have to accept,” Dai replies, feeling his heart beating faster.

“Wow, Dai-chan is gonna be even cooler after this!” Tsubasa adds and hugs his childhood friend.

“Stop calling me Dai-chan!” the young man replies, he immediately starts to try and sink the idea into his mind.

Truth to be told, he does not hate acting as much as he did the first times in which they had those kinds of jobs. Nevertheless, this is bigger than a commercial, or than a music video, this is a film with a famous producer. Moreover, this will not be a simple project, this is something that the president, Shiki and Haiduki have agreed in order to expand SolidS’ audience.

*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*

One week later and after the movie’ script has been reviewed and corrected as the way Tsukino Talent Production has demanded; Dai is going to have the first official meeting with the staff for the movie. Regardless of his composed expression, Dai is too nervous, he has read the names of every person who will be involved in the movie, all of them people who are extremely popular in the cinematographic industry. Especially the lead actress, Hino Gou, a famous model who has quickly trace a path in the acting world. The youngest member of the unit goes to the kitchen, trying to find something he can eat, or that his stomach does not feel like throwing up.

“Dai, don’t you have a meeting today?” Rikka, who has come back from running and has gotten to the kitchen, asks him.

“Yes, I’m still on time, just that I haven’t gotten breakfast,” the younger replies.

“Do you want me to cook something for you?”

“It’s not necessary, I think I’ll get something on my way,” Dai says after having checked and not finding anything appetizing for him.

“Ah, ok…”

There it is again, since the moment that Shiki has told them about this movie and the cast, Rikka has been acting weird with him. At the beginning, Dai thought it was only some kind of weird idea he was having for being scared; nevertheless, again he could see something different on Rikka’s eyes. The younger looks at the pink haired, he wants to ask, but he does not have the right words to do it.

“Rikka, I…”

“Dai, you’ll be getting late to the meeting, and you still need to buy some food.”

The younger hesitates about leaving, he knows that he needs to talk with Rikka. Nevertheless, when he sees the time, he is more than sure that the conversation will have to wait for later. Quickly he goes closer to the pink haired and gives him a kiss on the cheek, gently he says good bye to Rikka, and leaves the dorm. On the other side, Rikka stays in the kitchen; immediately, he bites his tongue for the way in which he treated Dai, but since he checked the cast for the movie, he has felt awfully uneasy.

No, he has to be more honest with himself, just knowing the name of the main actress was more than enough for this sensation he has been experimenting. Hino Gou, she has been one of the strongest female models during the last five years, a trajectory that anyone would envy… even Rikka. The woman has always been well-known for taking any project and making it even better than expected.

“What am I thinking?” Rikka wonders out loud unconscious of his surroundings.

“I don’t know, mind to share?” the leader of the unit suddenly surprises him and makes him jump due to the unexpected intrusion.

“Shiki! You shouldn’t do that!”

“Do what?” he is as blunt as usual, but Rikka cannot blame him, he is actually the one acting weird, “has Dai already left?”

“Yes, he actually left just some minutes before you came to the kitchen,” the pink haired replies and stays still in the middle of the room.

“Rikka, are you alright?”

“He will be alright, right? I mean… I don’t have to worry, right?” unable to keep hiding his troubling thoughts Rikka asks.

Shiki stares at the model for a while; just some weeks ago Rikka and Dai have finally told them that they were dating, which leaded to Shiki and Tsubasa to confess the same; nevertheless, that is not the issue right now. No, right now the issue is that Rikka feels insecure for a possibility of losing his relationship with Dai. The leader thinks about what he should say, he cannot simply come and say that everything will be alright, Rikka will not believe something so cliché. Then, after taking a zip of his coffee, Shiki proceeds to talk.

“You are afraid that Dai, the only member of SolidS who is shy and hesitates about his performance on gravure projects, can leave you for a movie that will test the part that he considers his weakest point?”

The pink haired knows that Shiki is doing this to make him feel silly for his own thoughts, but even like that, he nods at the question and remains in the same spot he has been.

“Rikka, Dai has been extremely careful with everything about your relationship, I do not believe that suddenly a project like this can pull him away from you,” the leader speaks as he drinks more coffee, “Dai loves you, Rikka.”

The man concludes, and those words give some tranquility to Rikka’s heart. The pink haired nods and takes a deep breath, he shouldn’t have been so cold with Dai that morning, the younger man needed to feel support and he did the opposite. At that moment, Rikka makes the promise to prepare a special dinner for Dai and show real interested on the project, not the fake one he has shown so far.

*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*

His enthusiasm didn’t last for too long. That night and as soon as Dai has returned from the first meeting, the younger member has announced them that he will have to be away for a whole month. According to Hiwatari, the motion was not specified in the original contract since they were still trying to get all the permissions for the location in which they will have to stay. Therefore, all the staff and actors were required to accept.

“A whole month?” Rikka asks, he has not been able to digest the news and now that he is alone with Dai he unconsciously asks again.

“Yes… I’m sorry…” Dai replies, they are talking in Rikka’s room to have some privacy, “Haiduki tried to negotiate so that I could travel every day, but it was not possible.”

“It’s alright, it’s alright,” the pink haired tries to act as if he is really alright with the situation, but of course, he is not, “it’s your work and it’s a great opportunity, not only for you, but for SolidS.”

Rikka wants to slap himself, his reaction was simply awful and totally fake. Moreover, he knows that Dai has already noticed that he is not fine at all with this. It has been something weird for Rikka to realize that his lover has started to decipher his emotions and real feelings more easily. No one has ever been able to do it, but probably this is how being in love is.

“Dai, I really mean it, it’s alright, please… do your best! Ok?” the pink haired tries to rephrase himself and give a more honest support to his lover.

“Thank you,” Dai replies and kisses Rikka’s forehead, “I… I have to go and pack, see you tomorrow.”

“Good night.”

*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*

The following day, they do not go to run together since Dai has to leave the dorm at first hour, the younger is not even able to say good bye to Shiki or Tsubasa since both are still sleeping. Therefore, Rikka is the only one who sees him leave with Haiduki; now it has been two hours since Dai left, the pink haired has been two hours staring at an empty space and it seems like his mind has gone completely blank. It has reached the point that he does not even responds Tsubasa’s greeting and the blond has to come right next to him to pat his shoulder.

“I’m sorry, did you say something?” Rikka reacts and asks.

“I just said good morning and asked about Dai-chan, has he already left?”

The pink haired nods and seems to remember the reason for his mood. A mood that he would never imagine he could have.

“Are you alright, Rikka?”

“Just thinking… what are we supposed to do in this month? I mean, SolidS will not be complete and…”

“Are you asking for SolidS or are you missing Dai-chan already?” the question was not intended to be malicious, but it ends up hurting Rikka who looks away and tries to think about an answer.

“SolidS… SolidS should be our priority so…”

“That’s why the president approved Dai’s participation on this project,” Rikka and Tsubasa are surprised to hear Shiki’s voice so suddenly, “Dai needs to be more active on the business, and if we get him to be more active it will of course benefit the unit.”

Rikka nods, still not convinced, or not wanting to feel convinced by the explanation given by the leader. Unusual to his behavior, the pink haired does not offer anything to eat or drink to the other two members, who keep staring at him expecting another question.

“This movie… is it really something that SolidS fans would be interested on?”

“I’ll give you the script, so you can read it later if you want, that way you can decide if it is good for SolidS or not.”

The pink haired does not say anything else, he knows that he is overreacting, and he knows that Shiki and Tsubasa are being patient with him. Probably, those two are as confused as he is with how he feels and acts. Later that afternoon, he gets the script from Shiki and he gets to read it in less than an hour. If he has to be honest, the target audience can be really seen as their own target audience; if he has to be even more honest, he knows the role fits perfectly for Dai.

A young man who falls in love with a woman who every man dreams about, but he is too shy to express his feelings until he challenges himself and gets into a series of unexpected events to get the woman’s heart. Nevertheless, that is also the part that makes him feel more uneasy, it’s the perfect role for Dai, and the perfect role for Hino Gou… she will have to act as the woman everyone wants and as the seducer who will break the shy man’s barrier. For a long while, Rikka stays in his room, he keeps thinking about all the scenes, all the moments that Dai will be on screen with that woman.

Without realizing it, he has started to rumple the script and only stops when he listens to his cellphone. A message from Dai, a simple line on it ‘I miss you.’ Knowing how Dai is, the pink haired is sure that that simple message took him more than some minutes, so Rikka smiles at the screen and replies it. Maybe he is overthinking, and Shiki is right, there is no way that Dai will throw their relationship out of the window at this point.

*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*

One week has passed since Dai left the dorms to start the recording of the movie; every day he has texted Rikka, letting him know about the work environment and of course how he feels with the production. Needless to say, Rikka has been more than happy reading the messages and even listening to some audios that Dai has sent him; however, he cannot stop feeling uneasy every time that Dai has mentioned Hino’s name.

He hates that feeling, he hates how he perceives his blood boiling with the mention, “Hino-san is too kind,” “I think Hino-san is too patient with me,” “At the end of this, I will need to thank Hino-san for all the help.” Rikka knows that he dislikes every single message in which her name has been mentioned with all his heart. Just as he is reading the last part of the newest message sent by Dai, he feels his heart beating faster as he goes through the words.

‘_I may not be able to talk with you tonight, Hino-san has invited me to go out with her, the producer said it was a good idea. You know how I am, I was caught in the middle and I ended up saying yes. I’m sorry._”

Rikka knows that he has already opened the message, that said message has been marked as seen, and that he needs to reply. The pink haired tries to relax before starting to type his reply, he needs to show that he is alright with this, he needs to think about supporting Dai. Yes, that’s right, supporting Dai. Therefore, once he has set that thought on his mind, he calmly proceeds to write his answer. After hitting the send button, he decides to leave his cellphone on his room, this is the usual time for him to go running, but he does not feel like going out right now. Instead, he goes to the kitchen and prepares a cup of tea for himself.

“Eh? This is a weird view; didn’t you go running today?” Shiki asks him as he gets to the common room.

“I didn’t feel well,” Rikka replies and forces a smile.

“What did he say now?”

The pink haired feels somehow cornered by Shiki’s question, is that evident that he feels bad for stuff related to Dai? It does not matter, after all, he is too evident when it comes to his relationship with the youngest member and so he nods.

“He’s going out with Hino-san tonight, it was something that even Hiwatari-san approved,” the model replies and takes a sip from his tea as trying to swallow the information that he has to share.

“I see, you know… that’s something really common for this type of production, maybe Dai has not understood it yet, but it’s just part of his job right now.”

Even if the answer is completely reasonable, Rikka wants to argue, but knowing that this might lead to a further discussion, which he and obviously Shiki, won’t be able to bear with at the moment.

And so, the pink haired has to accept the answer, trying to keep a normal façade after the small conversation; Rikka starts to make some breakfast and once Tsubasa shows in the common room they all share a nice conversation. The rest of the day the pink haired decides to keep himself busy to stop his mind of thinking about the last message he got that day from Dai.

*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*

The next morning, and as soon as he wakes up, Rikka starts checking his cellphone, hoping for a new message from Dai. Nevertheless, there was no new messages from his lover. Trying not to allow his emotions to get the best of him, he is the one who sends the first message of the day.

‘_Hi, I hope you had had a nice night yesterday, good luck on your work today!_’

Feeling better at being the first one to communicate, he gets up and starts getting ready to go running. Right now, he seems to be in a better mood and so he has to take advantage of it. When he is about to leave the dorm, he listens to someone talking in the kitchen, who could be up so early? Letting the curiosity gets the best of him, Rikka turns around and sees that Shiki seems to be having a conversation with Haiduki.

“I know it’s for the best in regards of the movie, but our contract says…” yes, definitely Haiduki since he couldn’t finish his argument, “I’m just telling you, I don’t think that it seems right to create a relationship out of nothing!”

A relationship?

“You know we are talking about Dai, right?”

Rikka’s eyes go wide opened, what is happening?

“Do you think that Dai can act as a boyfriend to Hino-san just like that? This was not something that they mention in the movie contract,” even if Shiki’s words are too loud, Rikka cannot keep listening to them.

Dai has to act as Hino-san’s boyfriend… why? When Shiki realizes that Rikka is behind him, he informs Haiduki that he will call him later expecting a better resolution.

“Rikka…”

“What is happening?”

The leader sighs, he wishes he would have had more time to find a better way to say this to Rikka. Nonetheless, Shiki has been someone who believes that is better to tell the bad news without hesitation to cause less pain.

“Yesterday, when Dai and Hino-san went out some journalists saw them, they took pictures and made up a story, I’m sorry.”

Rikka remains silence, looking down and he is evidently getting paler. Immediately, Shiki goes by his side and leads him to take a seat.

“Did he agree on this? Isn’t there something we can do? Our contracts…”

“As soon as Dai saw the news, he called Haiduki to find a way to fix the mess,” the leader expresses.

A small smile shows on Rikka’s face thinking that his lover took quick action on the issue to avoid any consequences.

“But…?” the pink haired says knowing that there is something negative coming.

“It was already too late, the whole production crew was happy with the result that this could have, as you saw I was trying to force Haiduki to find a solution,” Shiki grunts remembering the tiresome conversation, “but, even if he is the most capable person, this is out of his scope… since the president has also agreed on this.”

Rikka stays there, his biggest fear with this movie is somehow getting real and all he wants is to scream out loud his relationship with Dai to avoid any person to get closer to his boyfriend. Unfortunately, that is something they cannot do right now.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Business is business, and so when the reality has to be twisted to get better outcomes feelings do not matter, that's something Rikka has learnt while being in the entertainment business and probably is what he fears the most.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I'm getting back to a nice rhythm for updates since I'm feeling with a bit more of energy, which I should take advantage of.. this was supposed to be a one-shot then I thought about just 2 chapters, but now I don't even know. Thank you for reading!

**Chapter 2**

The morning has been the longest he has ever lived. Every single show about entertainment has covered the news, Murase Dai and Hino Gou the newest and refreshing couple of all Japan.

Rikka feels as his stomach twitches one more time just with the memory of all those shows. Even if Tsubasa repeated him several times to stop watching them, he didn’t listen to the blond and now he is paying the consequences. He looks at the clock on the wall one more time, it’s almost 1:00pm and Shiki has not come back yet. The leader of the unit has left for a sudden meeting with Haiduki and the president to talk about the situation. Of course, Shiki has not made him any kind of promise, it was completely out of logic to promise a positive resolution for this.

“Nothing yet?” Tsubasa who has come again to the common room asks him.

“No, Dai has not replied my message either,” Rikka replies and the blond can easily notice the pink haired man’s sadness.

Tsubasa stays in silence for a moment and thinks about sending a message to Dai too, but it would be pointless, probably his childhood friend is busy with the recording at this moment. The blond sighs, they cannot even try to watch tv together since at any moment the news might come up again and going out will be just the same.

“Listen, Rikka, I’m sure Dai is completely against this idea, I don’t think they can force him to go into this plan and…”

“What if they do? I keep repeating to myself that they can’t force him, but this is an industry,” the older man says and then looks down, “it’s not something in which you are free to decide what to do if there’s a biggest benefit at the end for the business leaders.”

Tsubasa is lost at words, it is obvious Rikka has been in the business for more time than he has in the entertainment business, and even if they have shared the same path for quite a while already, Rikka is the one who knows the most. The blond scratches his head, worst part is that Dai has always had such a strong sense of responsibility that he will follow the role that he gets to be assigned no matter what. Even if that means faking a relationship.

“I’m sorry…” the pink suddenly says, “you are trying to cheer me up and I just blew it.”

“It’s better if we just wait for Shiki and…”

The blond is interrupted by the sudden buzzing from Rikka’s cellphone. Finally, Dai is calling him back, and so the pink haired immediately answers the phone.

“Dai!”

“I’m sorry Rikka, I’m really, really sorry,” the younger man is whispering from the other end of the line.

There is a pause in the conversation, Rikka needs to find a good way to show his support and understanding, and Dai just needs to know that the pink haired man is not mad at him. After a while, Rikka takes a deep breath and speaks.

“I know this was not your fault, Dai,” the model finally says and he even gets to feel a bit better by saying those words.

“I… I know, but I’m still sorry, with you, with everyone,” the light blue haired man says, “I know I have given a huge problem to everyone and…”

“Listen Dai, Haiduki-san and Shiki are going to fix this, I’m sure of it and…”

Rikka stops, there’s a voice in the background, a female voice that is coming closer.

_“Dai-kun, what are you doing here, sweety?”_

_“Ah… I needed to make a phone call, I’ll be ready in a moment Hino-san.”_

Rikka knows that Dai is trying to muffle the conversation that he is having, but he can clearly listen to each one of the words. The pink haired holds his breath as he pierces a bit his palm with his finger nails; the blond that is still with him looks alarmed at the action but remains silence.

“_Stop calling me ‘Hino-san’ I told you to call me Gou-chan! Even more now that we are an official couple_,” Rikka hears as the girl speaks again and she seems to be closer to Dai since he can listen to her better.

_“I’m sorry, please… I just need some more time, I’ll be there soon… Gou-chan…” _

Even if Rikka can sense that Dai is referring to her without any special tone of voice, he feels as a wave of rage goes through his body. Why is Dai following her request and calling her like that? He could simply ignore her or deny the petition.

“Rikka?” Dai calls him out, he probably was spacing out too much seems apparently Dai has been calling him more than once.

“Go, it’s ok, we can talk later, good luck,” the pink haired expresses and hangs up the phone even before having a reply from Dai.

“I think that was way too cold,” Tsubasa tells him, maybe that is not the best comment at the moment, but the blond feels that is necessary to make the remark.

The older man sighs, he knows his action was too rude. Nonetheless, he also knows that he wouldn’t have been capable of speaking with Dai after listening to Hino saying all that stuff. Rikka throws himself in the couch; he is thankful that he did not have any kind of job schedule for today since he would not have gone, he feels totally drained and does not want to do anything at all.

*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*

The tension in the car is too evident, after all, they were in a meeting for three hours and still the result was the same. The president has agreed to help the production of the movie and give a green light to the fake relationship between Dai and Hino. Haiduki can clearly see how bad Shiki is feeling with the final decision, but the only way they could have stopped this was confessing Rikka and Dai relationship.

“You know that…”

“I know that if we have told the president that Rikka and Dai are together the president would not have agreed, but we all made a deal, our relationships will stay in the dorms and no one will know, well with you as a clear exception” Shiki continues, he was so closed to telling the truth, but he couldn’t take that choice alone.

“It is just while the movie is promoted, and it would be acting, at least Hiwatari-san stated that it would be that way,” the manager says again, they are getting closer to the dorms building and so they would have to tell Rikka what happened.

Shiki is completely sure that Dai will never fall in love with the model and actress, but he does not know how much he can trust the woman. After all, in the pictures that were published and that caused all the issue it was more than evident that Hino knew what she was doing. Contrary to Dai that he seems to be completely out of character, in case that it was all an act that the two of them planned, something that also is out of Dai’s personality.

“I should have prepared Dai better for this, we just threw him alone and…”

“He is too naïve, yes, it can be easily seen in all the pictures,” Haiduki finishes the thought and parks the vehicle, “Do you want me to go with you? After all, I’m also responsible of the result.”

Shiki looks up, he sure does not want to break Rikka’s heart alone, so he nods to the proposal. Both men get of the car and start their way to SolidS dorm. The silence that they could perceive from outside the door is creeping Shiki out; the purple haired man knows that Tsubasa and Rikka are together and they generally speak a lot. When he opens the door, the environment is even worst, he and Haiduki walk to the common room and are received by an unusual view. Tsubasa is actually working on his college assignments and Rikka is just sitting down without doing anything.

“So? How did it go?” Tsubasa desperately asks when he sees new people coming in, the morning has been awfully long and too quiet.

Immediately, Shiki and Haiduki’s expressions give away the answer, not well.

“We are sorry, we were talking with the president and Hiwatari-san, but the more we talked the less we could find the positive outcome for us.”

The manager expresses, he notices that Shiki was not going to be able to give the news and so he decided to be the one talking.

“We agreed that this relationship would be fake and that as soon as the movie gets to be out of the public eye their fake relationship will end, just a marketing strategy.”

The unit leader adds looking straight at Rikka.

“What about our contracts? No idol from Tsukino Talent Production is allowed to have a relationship, at least not a public relationship,” the pink haired immediately states and stands up.

“We mentioned that to the president;” Haiduki replies and before Rikka could argue he keeps going, “however, the contracts also states that if a relationship comes out publicly and the agencies, in this case Tsukino Talent Production and Hiwatari Association, agree on the talents being together for common interests, then the idol is allowed to be in the relationship.”

“We talked about that, about Dai’s personality, about SolidS’ reputation and our fans, we said everything we could to stop this from going, Rikka,” Shiki continues when he sees that the pink haired is not convince, “the only thing we didn’t say is that you and Dai are together, I just couldn’t take ownership over that fact and say it without yours and Dai’s permission.”

Rikka sits again, it does not matter how angry and frustrated he feels, Shiki and Haiduki did everything they could. Moreover, he knows that they did well by not revealing their relationship, he knows how much Dai has requested to keep it private; and he has always agreed with Dai on that decision.

“So… Dai-chan has to pretend to be Hino Gou boyfriend? He has to be with the most popular girl, and the actress-model that has been categorized as the most beautiful woman in all Japan?”

Shiki and Haiduki look about to kill the blond with just their glares, was it really necessary to make that kind of mention about the woman? Before any further word is said, Rikka stands up and walks towards his room, the last thing the men in the living room hear is the door being strongly slammed.

“Seriously, Tsubasa?” Shiki says and sighs.

“I’m sorry… I just… we are talking about Dai-chan! He didn’t know he was being asked for a date in high school, he never understood that a lot of girls were his fans while he was in the swimming club!”

Tsubasa expresses and even if he does not want to laugh, he starts laughing. There are so many memories coming to his mind about his friend that make this whole idea so hilarious to him.

“I mean just think about it, he used to think those girls really liked swimming competitions while in reality all of them were there to look at him semi-naked,” the blond cannot keep his voice quiet, plus his need to laugh does not help him, “even the team captain try to hit on him and he thought that the guy was being a good senpai!” 

Shiki and Haiduki look at each other, yes, they know it is not the time to laugh, but after all the tension from the morning and imagining Dai in the past in those situations, makes them laugh too. Suddenly, they hear as a door is opened again, Rikka has come out of his room, but just seconds later, they hear as the main door is slammed too. The common room becomes completely silent.

“Should we go with him?” Tsubasa asks after some seconds.

“I think he needs a moment alone,” Shiki replies, long weeks are coming for sure to their dorm.

Exhausted by the day, Shiki sits on the couch and sighs again, handling this situation is so unusual to him that his head is about to explode.

“Want some coffee? Shiki, Haiduki-san?” Tsubasa asks them as he stands up to make some.

“I appreciate the offer, but it’s time for me to go, I still need to make some adjustments for SolidS’ agenda as well as scheduling some other individual works for all of you,” the manager says.

“Thank you, and good luck,” Shiki replies.

“Take some rest, you still need to work on some songs, but I can negotiate some sort of extension if you need it.”

The man nods and thanks with a small smile to his manager who leaves the dorm after that. Then, Tsubasa goes next to him and handles him the cup of coffee.

“You know, Rikka should not feel worried about it, Dai-chan does not look in love at all with that girl,” Tsubasa says while he keeps looking at the pictures that were taken to his friend on his phone.

“I think the only one who cannot see Dai’s true feelings is Rikka.”

*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°°*°*°*°*°°*°*°*°*°*°*

He cannot believe himself, it’s been months since the last time he has smoked, but here he is again smoking. Rikka hates how familiar this feels to his past, being alone in the dark corner of a bar just listening to the music to try to ease his mind. This is what he hates from this kind of life, the lies and the actions that must be performed for the business’ well-being. He puts the cigarette down to drink the cocktail he has left neglected and think about all the time they have shared as SolidS and how precious it has been to him. There was no need to be fake, there were no lies, but now one of them, his boyfriend, has to lie and show himself as someone else in front of all people.

Dai will have to hold Hino’s hand, go out with her, smile to her; Rikka feels once again the awful anger going through himself and so he sets his attention back to the cigarette. Letting the smoke out way too fast due to the conflicted emotions, he realizes that he needs another cigarette. At that moment, he notices that he has finished an entire box in just two hours. The pink haired sighs, he knows he owns an apology to Shiki, Tsubasa, Haiduki and even more to Dai. However, every time he thinks about this, about Dai pretending to be someone else’s couple, he just feels that something is going to go terribly wrong.

“Am I being over dramatic?” he wonders as he throws the empty box on the table.

“Maybe, mind to share how exactly do you feel?”

Shiki’s voice startles him, is the leader getting some kind of creepy habit and ability of finding him in his worst moments and scaring the hell out of him? Rikka looks up and sees as the man has come alone, something that he is more than thankful; he is aware that he was an asshole to Tsubasa and is not ready to see him yet. The pink haired sighs and shrugs, he does not even know where to start, but still Shiki takes a seat as an indication that he can take all the necessary time.

“You know I’ve been in this world for a long time,” Rikka tells him and the purple haired man nods, “I’ve seen a lot of stuff and I’ve been part of similar stuff…”

“Really?” Shiki asks surprised, he has been Rikka’s friend for a long time, but that didn’t mean he knows everything about his trajectory.

“It was before we met, I thought it could be fun, and so I tried it, but the truth is that it is never fun,” the pink haired expresses, “there are always consequences and it is hard to go back to your normal self.”

“Do you think that that can happen to Dai?”

Rikka feels a strong pain in his heart, he has always seen Dai as someone who is too pure for this industry. He knows that time has changed him a bit, but still Dai is the one with the most innocent soul out of all the members of their unit.

“I am sure everyone thinks that I shouldn’t worry, that Dai loves me,” Rikka starts speaking and makes a small pause to get enough braveness to continue, “but… there’s a part of me that wonders ‘what if Dai wants to experience more?’ ‘what if he realizes that he is wasting his time with me? That there’s more to see and know,’’”

Shiki looks in complete shock at Rikka, since the pink haired does not seem to hesitate on expressing what he is really thinking. Rikka is exposing all his vulnerability right now in front of him, and Shiki does not really know how to comfort his friend.

“You know, Dai is the youngest, the naïve one,” Rikka keeps saying, “and that’s what I love the most, that sweet part of him,” at that point his voice breaks.

The pink haired turns his attention back to his cocktail and drinks all what is left. Then he takes a deep breath.

“But I’m sure I will hate that if this woman is taking advantage of it,” the man states and looks up at Shiki.

“Rikka… first of all, let’s go back home, you look paler than usual and you need to stop smoking for today,” Shiki tells him and places some money on the table to cover Rikka’s bill.

“I don’t want to go back.”

The purple haired man sighs, this is Rikka’s spoiled side and even worst since he is going more into the dramatic side and not due to tiredness. Knowing that he can take advantage of the fact that he is known for not having any kind of fineness, Shiki pulls Rikka up and practically drags him out of the bar.

“You’re gonna take a shower, drink some tea, and you’re gonna have a long phone call with Dai,” Shiki says and does not pay attention to some people that stare at them, “I’ll even be the one calling Dai and then sticking my cellphone to your ear with adhesive tape if necessary.”

At that Rikka laughs, the leader has never been someone to show sensitivity, but he sure has a peculiar way of showing that he is worried for his friends.

“Great you’re finally laughing,” Shiki comments, “also, you also have to apologize to Tsubasa, you always make me do it, so take this as a revenge for all those times.”

“I was a total ass with him, right?”

Shiki nods and keeps pulling him, the situation is something different for all of them, and it is sure not going to be easy to handle it. Nevertheless, as the leader, Shiki knows that if he does not try to pull them together and find a fast solution it will only get worst.

*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*

As soon as they get to SolidS dorm, Shiki sends Rikka to take a shower while he makes him some tea. The purple haired man cannot avoid feeling distressed, this is not only about the reactions they are having as a unit, this is also going to be a huge test in regards their fans’ reactions.

“Already back?” Tsubasa shows up in the kitchen and surprises the leader which is show by the sudden jump, “opss, sorry, is Rikka feeling better?”

“I think so, he’s taking a shower and then he will call Dai,” Shiki replies and pours the tea in Rikka’s cup.

“Ah… it might not be a good idea…” the blond comments his voice showing the fear of something bad.

“Why not?” Rikka asks.

An awfully perfect timing, Tsubasa thinks to himself and uncomfortably laughs.

“I called him like 20 minutes ago, he was hoping to speak with you, but he had to accept another date with Hino-san.”

Quickly, Shiki handles the cup of tea to Rikka so he cannot leave the place nor say anything negative about the issue. The blond looks at their leader, he didn’t want to ruin Shiki’s work, but he would have never imagined how things would go.

“I’ll call him tomorrow first thing in the morning,” the pink haired suddenly says, “if I’m not wrong, recording starts for him at 9am, so we will have time to talk.”

The words give a huge relief to Shiki and Tsubasa who look at Rikka with a content smile, and he smiles back at them. Nevertheless, the pink haired is truly irritated, if he would have come back earlier he would have been able to speak with Dai.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me while writing the reason why the relationship was allowed: I NEED PLOT.... but since that could't be said then we have that pretty convenience explanation and huge gap in the contracts XD


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> New projects mean more decisions to make, plus more emotions that the guys will need to face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I believe this might be the last update until October... probably... so, if you are reading this fic, please be patient and thank you <3

**Chapter 3**

Rikka has woken up earlier than ever and he has been staring at his phone for more than fifteen minutes already. The pink haired sighs, he promised to Tsubasa and Shiki that he will call Dai and he knows he must do it. After all, they haven’t been able to properly talk about the current issue.

The slender man sighs, if he keeps running away things are going to get worse, he repeats as he finally picks up his cellphone. Quickly, he dials Dai’s number and his heart beat becomes faster as he hears the beeping sound. Is Dai still sleeping? Or maybe he is already at the recording, no that would be too weird, it’s only 7:00am, he must be just waking up or preparing himself for his workday. Then, when the call is about to be disconnected, Dai finally answers his phone.

“Rikka?”

The pink haired man’s heart breaks when he hears Dai’s voice full of hope and illusion, the younger must have been waiting a lot to speak with him. Rikka smiles and tries to talk as calmed as possible.

“Hi Dai, how are you doing?”

“I’m so relief to listen to your voice, I’m sorry, again, I’m really sorry.”

Internally, Rikka begs that Dai does not keep apologizing, he is the one who should be saying those words, not Dai.

“Listen Dai… this is going to be hard for us…” this is not exactly what he wants to say, he knows it, but his pride is playing hard on him, “but… it’s only for a while and…”

“_Dai-kun, who are you speaking with?_” again that female’s voice, Hino-san she sounds as if she is just waking up… is she in the same room than Dai?

“_Hino-san, I…_” again, Dai is trying to muffle the conversation.

“Dai,” Rikka knows his voice is colder than any other moment he has spoken with his boyfriend, “did you two sleep in the same room?”

Dai sighs, it’s as if some sort of divinity would be mocking him, yes, they were in the same room, but only because Hino drank more than necessary last night. The explanation sounds simple in his mind, but having seen Rikka’s reaction, Dai knows that the pink haired will not accept easily anything he has to say.

“Just say yes or no, please Dai,” Rikka speaks again to get Dai’s attention.

The boy sighs one more time.

“_Hino-san, I think you should get ready for the recording,_” the younger man refers first to the actress, he needs to speak with Rikka, but he won’t be able to do it with the woman right in front of him.

“_Are you keeping secrets away from me? That’s not really nice, Dai-kun,_” the girl says and giggles, “_Fine, I’ll get ready, but only if you stop calling me ‘Hino-san’_.”

“_Gou-chan… please._”

Rikka is thankful that he hasn’t eaten at all since yesterday, otherwise he will be throwing up by listening to Dai saying again those words. He hears as the girl giggles more and says good bye to _his_ boyfriend. Then, he can also listen to a door being closed and as Dai sighs again.

“We were in the same room, but let me explain,” the younger quickly says.

“Did you do something with her?”

The question is out of his mouth even before he could think in something better to say.

“What?! No! Rikka, why are you asking me this?!” Dai expresses, his voice carrying a hurt tone of voice.

Mentally, Rikka slaps himself, this is not how this conversation was supposed to go. The pink haired remains silence, he does not have an idea on how to reply to Dai. Not after he tried to insinuate that he has slept with Hino.

“Rikka… I need to know that I can count on you more than ever,” Dai is the one who speaks up again, “right now, I’m hating everything about this, and I just want to give up, but… I can’t… I can’t quit for SolidS.”

The pink haired is biting his finger nail, he really must be someone that Dai can trust, but just thinking about Hino makes him lose his mind.

“Rikka?”

“I’m sorry, I’m the one who should have apologized from the beginning,” he is finally able to speak the way he wants.

There is one more pause, Rikka has given the first step, but if he does not know how to properly move, then the cycle will start again. On the other side, somehow, Dai feels better by just knowing that the pink haired is still there and has not hang up the phone.

“Just… please, just tell me what was she doing in your room?”

The younger man sighs, it is better to say the truth if that means that Rikka can trust him more.

“We went out yesterday, per Hiwatari-san’s request,” the light blue haired man starts explaining, “something got into Hino-san and she drank more than necessary.”

“Did you drink?” Rikka interrupts, if they were both drunk then something could have happened.

“You know how I am with alcohol, I didn’t drink at all, but when we came back she was too drunk to walk by herself, and she couldn’t even tell me her room number,” Dai continues, he felt so frustrated at that moment, “and since I didn’t pay attention to what room she’s been staying in so I brought her to my room.”

“I see,” by Rikka’s voice, Dai knows that he is still having the wrong idea.

“I slept on the floor and I let her sleep in my bed, those are all the details you need to know.”

The pink haired feels an awful sharp pain in his heart, the way Dai says those words expresses complete honesty. Moreover, it shows that he is starting to get tired of Rikka’s behavior, thus he sighs and closes his eyes. At this moment, he wishes he could be in front of Dai, everything will be easier if they could see in to each other’s eyes.

“I’m sorry, Dai… I simply can’t deal with the idea of you being in a fake relationship, I can’t,” Rikka says and his voice breaks.

“I can’t either…this is not who I am, this is not something I want to do, you should know that,” the light blue haired man expresses, he is running out of time to get ready, but he needs this conversation with Rikka, “I had hopes that Haiduki-san and Shiki could fix this, but…”

The older can perceive Dai’s sadness, he is for sure hating all this turn out of the events.

“It’s going to be hard,” Rikka whispers.

“If I can count on you, I know I can survive this, we can overcome this,” his voice appears to be calmed, but the pink haired knows that Dai is about to lose it.

“You can, I’m here for you.”

He feels fake, he knows that he is still having so many doubts, so many fears about everything related to this production.

“I want to see you,” Dai says and sighs.

“Just some more weeks and we can be together again,” the pink haired comments and starts playing with one of his curls, he needs to start believing that everything will be fine.

“Yes, I… I have to start getting ready, I have to be on the set for some of the first scenes today.”

“It’s alright, we already talked, and we are going to keep in touch, alright?” Rikka tells him, and he is aware he has to do as he says.

“I love you, Rikka.”

“I love you, Dai; now, get ready, I don’t want you to be late, take care,” the pink haired smiles, a bit more sincere now, and somehow, he can assure that there is also a small smile on Dai’s face right now.

“Thank you, take care you too, talk to you later.”

Right after that, Dai disconnects from the call and Rikka stays in his room in complete silence for a while. Why is it that his heart is still feeling uneasy? Why is it that a part of him cannot believe that everything will be just fine? There were no signs of lying in Dai’s voice, he told him the truth, he knows that Dai is not hiding anything from him.

“Hino…” Rikka whispers, definitely, she is the reason of all his bad feelings.

The pink haired throws himself on his bed, being honest, he can perceive that Hino is enjoying the moment of attention and having to fake the relationship. Even more, what Shiki and Tsubasa said about her being the one drawing the attention to them in order to get those pictures. Now, the real question would be if she is doing this just to promote the movie.

“Does she like Dai for real?” Rikka wonders and rolls to his side.

That would be a problem. The pink haired sighs, he must stop thinking about this, he also has to work and do other stuff and so he cannot allow his personal life to get in the middle. Therefore, and trying to avoid feeling exhausted again for the same reason, he gets up and goes to the kitchen; a good breakfast and a nice tea will help him to recover the good mood. He looks at the clock one more time, yes, it is definitely too late to go out for runing so he better sticks to his plan, and so, as soon as he gets to the kitchen he is welcomed again by a weird view. Shiki is already up with a cup of coffee in his hand and reviewing a lot of papers.

“Shiki?”

“Hi, how are you doing? Did you speak with Dai?” the leader wishes he could have waited for Rikka to be the one talking first but knowing the kind of news he has to give, he needs to see that there is a good mood to speak.

Rikka wryly laughs, is it that important for Shiki that he solves this with Dai? Nevertheless, he nods and sighs.

“We did, but I was too closed to ruin it,” the pink haired admits, “when I called him, Hino was in his room and I was so stupid to practically asked him if he had slept with her.”

Shiki blankly stares at Rikka, and of course he does not know what to say about it. On one hand, he kind of justifies Rikka for asking such thing, but on the other hand, it is illogical to believe that something like that could have happened; since after all, they are talking about Dai.

“We kind of work it out,” the smaller man continues when he sees there are no words coming from Shiki, “but if you allow me to say, I’m starting to hate Hino…”

There is the cue for Shiki that he should not speak yet about the future projects that they just have received. However, if he post-pone it, it might be worst. Shiki sighs, he understands that there are a lot of reasons why Rikka might have felt uncomfortable about Hino from the beginning. The woman has developed herself in the same industry than Rikka, captivating the public eye with her dark, curly, pink hair and his icy blue eyes. She was a promised to the business ever since she started. Reason that could have caused Rikka to feel intimidated even if his main territory was not modeling anymore, but it’s something really common among celebrities.

“Shiki? You’re not going to say anything?”

“I’m thinking on how to say it,” the man sincerely replies and sighs, it’s better to go straight to the point, “last night, Haiduki sent me some information, all these are projects related to the movie production,” he says pointing at the papers he has been checking.

Nevertheless, Rikka does not understand the point on talking about the movie right now, he was hoping that Shiki could scold him for his negative feelings.

“There are two we cannot deny, one is having SolidS as the unit to provide the music for the movie, the president already gave approval for this,” he explains and waits for any comments from Rikka, there is non and so he proceeds, “the other, I have to work on a duet for Dai and Hino.”

At that last part, the pink haired man’s expression completely changes, the little good mood that he has worked that morning is easily washed away.

“Why with her? She is not a singer, I mean how would you put someone with Dai’s level with her?”

Shiki sighs, he is glad he has already had some coffee to reduce the upcoming headache.

“As you know, Hino Gou is an artist under Hiwatari Association, they gave her the chance to start as model, then she became an actress, and now they want to give her the opportunity to debut as an idol.”

“Does Tsukino Production agree with this?” the pink haired asks, the agency has left him down so much lately that he is asking the question by default at this point, especially knowing that the president already allowed SolidS to be part of the movie production.

Shiki does not even say a word, he just looks at Rikka hoping that he gets the answer with just that. Then, when there is no further complaint from Rikka, he decides to keep going with the news, it’s better sooner than later.

“Since both agencies are getting mutual benefits of all the production, especially Tsukino Production, there is one last request,” the leader speaks up one more time, “they want a photo session with you and Hino, the two outstanding models from the agencies.”

The pink haired man stays in silence and stares at Shiki. A photo session with Hino? With a person that he cannot stand right now. Nevertheless, if he thinks about it, he might be able to find Hino’s real motives with Dai.

“This is one of the requests that we can reject since the work is scheduled to be in Kyoto closed to the movie location and…”

“I’ll go.”

The leader looks at Rikka, he is sure that things are not going to be alright if he allows the pink haired man to go. The less he can do is to make Rikka understands that whatever happened he has to accept responsibility of his acts.

“I’ll tell you this not as your friend, but as the leader and producer of our unit,” Shiki expresses and sighs, “are you mentally capable of doing this work? Are you able to leave every single personal feeling out for this work?”

In all his career, Rikka has never felt so threatened and incapable of giving an answer. Shiki knows him too well and he will be able to see through his lie.

“Just let me do the work, Shiki.”

The pink haired says and lowers his head, he will have never thought that at some moment of his career he would have to beg to be able to perform a job. Even less, begging to one of his friends. On the other side, Shiki wants to believe, as Rikka’s friend, that he will be able to perform the task, that there will be no problems, but his producer side screams at him not to authorize said participation.

“If it is closed to the movie location, I can go and visit Dai, just for one day, he needs to know and see that I support him,” the younger adds, he knows this is playing a dirty trick and if Shiki is able to see through it, this would be game over.

“I’ll tell you my final decision at night, but do not allow this to distract you from your other works,” the leader informs him and Rikka nods.

*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°**°*°*°*°*°*

After the pink haired man has left the dorms, Shiki stays in the common room already trying to figure out what to compose and create for the movie soundtrack. He feels as a hypocrite telling Rikka to put his personal feelings apart when he cannot do it.

“Is he out?” he suddenly listens to Tsubasa asking, even if Rikka apologized to him yesterday, the blond is now cautious around the model.

“Yes, but for some reason I believe that the problems are not over yet,” the leader replies and stretched a bit.

“Tell me about it.”

The purple haired man looks up and with curiosity at Tsubasa, as long as, he knows the blond has not been out of his room; thus, he wouldn’t have been able to see the pink haired. When Tsubasa notices Shiki’s expression he tries to laugh it all, but the leader is now waiting for an explanation.

“I talked with Dai-chan this morning too, I think he just had finished his conversation with Rikka,” the blond replies and sits next to Shiki leaning his head on the leader’s shoulder, “I could feel his sadness, I didn’t even know what to tell him to make him feel a bit better.”

Tsubasa gets even closer to Shiki, the purple haired man knows that this is also something that is affecting Tsubasa. Who would say that having Dai in this movie would cause so much chaos to their emotions? Nevertheless, if Shiki thinks about it, this was a risk he knew they could face by allowing themselves to get in such deep relationships. Not only in a romantic way, but also their friendship bonds have grown so strong that someone’s sadness can distress them badly. Shiki kisses Tsubasa’s head and then he wraps the blond between his arms to consequently lie him on his lap.

“Dai will be fine, Rikka will be fine too,” the leader says, but he knows he is starting to doubt the words.

“I’m mainly afraid of Dai’s decisions,” the blond expresses and looks up at Shiki, “he may get to the point of quitting the movie or…”

“Or?”

Tsubasa takes a deep breath, he knows that is not really likely to happen, but still it is a possibility.

“He can break up with Rikka,” the younger expresses, Shiki knows that Tsubasa is not lying nor trying to be overdramatic, “he has always been the kind of person who needs to keep focus on his main task, and he said that all of this issue with Rikka is not letting him think clearly.”

Shiki sighs, if he thinks as a leader, he would of course go for the breaking up option, everyone would be able to keep working and move on. Nevertheless, as a friend, he has seen how happy Rikka has been with this relationship, and so he does not want that to happen. Tsubasa easily sees that he has given a new problem to carry to Shiki and so he goes and sits down again looking straight at Shiki’s eyes.

“Listen! This is just me going way beyond, yes, Dai-chan was sad and worried, but we just need to give them the chance to talk and all that as much as necessary,” the younger express, “we know that, we always solve our problems like that.”

“Then, it might be a good idea,” Shiki whispers and the blond does not seem to understand, “there’s a job for Rikka, a photoshoot with Hino-san in Kyoto next week.”

There is a pause, Tsubasa does not seem really convinced about the idea.

“Well… if he goes with the intentions of showing real support to Dai, then I believe it will be alright, but don’t blame me if something goes wrong.”

“I’m making the decision as SolidS leader, I’ll call Haiduki and inform Rikka when he gets back.”

The blond nods, all they can do is hope that giving them the chance to be together for at least one day, while Dai is still in the recording, can help them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel people may start staing on Gou-chan XD


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Slowly things are starting to look better for Rikka and he truly hopes that they can stay like this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! and this is pretty likely a filler chapter, but I needed to get back on track with everything, I don't keep notes for my fics anymore so ... yeah, anyways even as a filler I hope you enjoy the chapter...

**Chapter 4**

Rikka feels exhausted, it does not matter how small the tasks were during the day, he just feels totally burnt out. He clearly knows the reason for feeling so beat up, he has to force himself to keep completely focused on his work and ignore all his internal turmoil about Dai and Hino.

Something that has turned out to be harder than expected because every single person kept talking about that damn fake relationship. People talked about the news, the articles in the different magazines, the pictures, and of course the up-coming movie. All he could do was to politely smile and say that he knows just as much as them; even if he just wanted to shut them up about that relationship.

Therefore, once that Rikka opens the dorm’s room he finally feels free and so he can allow himself to loudly sigh. Not being too careful of his actions he even falls on his knees, extremely tired, that’s how he feels. He could be totally willing to run a marathon every day and not feeling tired but putting a fake façade on something that has come to destroy him so bad as it has been this obstacle between him and Dai; that he cannot do it without feeling exhausted.

“Rikka?” he hears as Tsubasa calls him out and so the pink haired man looks up, “I’m sorry, sorry, I didn’t want to bother you.”

“I am the one who should keep apologizing to you, Tsubasa,” the pink haired replies and it is weird to perceive the lack of a smile in Rikka’s face.

Trying to make possible to them to move on and ignore how uncomfortable their conversations have been in the last couple of days, Tsubasa offers a hand to Rikka to help him to stand up. The slightly shorter man finally smiles and accepts the gesture, he really needs to keep in mind that his friends are not responsible for all this situation and that they are actually trying to help him.

“Want some hot tea?” Tsubasa offers him and Rikka nods.

The blond leads their way towards the kitchen, the younger man does not ask anything, he knows that Rikka is going through a hard time. The best he can do is to support him even with small things as a nice cup of hot tea to help him to relax. On the other hand, Rikka appreciates the blond’s gesture and the fact that there was not any uncomfortable remark about his look. Once they reach the kitchen, they see that Shiki is still there, still checking on documents and drinking coffee, looking at the surroundings it seems as if the leader has been surviving just by drinking coffee.

“Didn’t you eat the dinner I order or you?” Tsubasa questions him, disappointment on his voice more than evident by looking at how much coffee Shiki has consumed.

“I did, but I needed to keep working,” the older man replies and then turns his attention to Rikka, “can we talk?”

Honestly, the pink haired man wants to decline any conversation with the leader, especially after that morning. Nevertheless, he knows they do have a pending topic of conversation and thus he nods.

“As the leader, I know we cannot disappoint Tsukino Production nor Hiwatari Association,” Shiki starts speaking and keeps his eyes locked with Rikka’s, “as your friend, I want to give you the chance to talk face to face with Dai.”

“So?”

The pink haired expresses, he is more than sure on how this is going to be, but still he wants full confirmation from Shiki.

“You will go to the photo session, but as your leader I want you to be as professional as you have always been,” Shiki says and even if he feels some hurt in Rikka’s eyes he continues, “if there is any problem related to your performance, you will have to take full responsibility of it, as a professional or even in the personal field.”

It is not a lie that Rikka feels degraded in a certain extent, but he also understands why Shiki is talking to him in this way. The pink haired takes a deep breath and nods, he will follow the leader’s instructions and, in the case, that anything happens, he will accept the consequences.

“I agree, any other specification you want to give me, leader?” Rikka expresses, he knows, he is more than sure that he has behave in the wrong way again, but his pride was too hurt with the way in which Shiki spoke to him.

The purple haired man sighs and rolls his eyes, this is one of the hardest things he has ever done since Rikka has been his friend for a long time.

“Rikka, at any other time I would have blindly trust you, but right now you are too unpredictable for me.”

“But, we do want you to do this, we do want that you and Dai can see each other, you know… you two can try to look for a private moment and do your thing,” Tsubasa says and the leader sighs even louder at that expression.

Nevertheless, and interesting enough, that is all what it takes to make Rikka laugh. It is the first time in which they are seeing the pink haired man laugh since the moment that Dai left.

“I don’t think it can be that easy to find a moment to do our thing, but at least we will talk,” the model replies after he has been able to control his laughs, “and I apologize with you two again… it’s been hard…”

Shiki and Tsubasa nods, at least it is good to see that their friend is conscious about his erroneous behavior. The pink haired man sighs and apologizes again, now he feels a bit more relaxed knowing that he will be able to share some time with Dai before the recording of the movie is over.

“It’s fine, just as I said…” Shiki is talking again but Rikka asks him to stop.

“Please, let’s try to enjoy the night without thinking about work or stuff like that,” the smaller man requests with a kind smile.

“It’d be nice if Dai-chan could be here,” Tsubasa says, his words are not meant to be cruel with anyone in the room, he honestly misses his childhood friend and he has come to realize that the dorm is not the same without the youngest member.

Shiki and Rikka nods, it is interesting to see how much they have grown attached to each other and how much they miss one of them. Generally, any kind of job away from the dorm will take them a whole weekend and in an extreme case a week. Therefore, this is the first time that one of them is absent for such long time frame.

*°*°*°*°°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*

Once that Rikka has gone back to his room, he starts preparing his suitcase and the stuff he will need for his stay in Kyoto. According to what Shiki has informed him, he will be going to that city in two days and his schedule has already been readjusted for any other commitment. The pink haired could feel how excited he is feeling for this, he will be able to see Dai, and mainly to see Hino’s real intentions.

When his mind goes back to Hino, he remembers that morning and all his thoughts. Right now, he is certain that Dai does not have any kind of feelings for the young model and actress. Nevertheless, the fact that this girl is being so persistent to spend time with Dai and to make sure everyone knows they are a couple is what makes him more uncomfortable.

During his career in the entertainment business; he has seen more than one celebrity being so desperate to climb to the highest point of success that they come up with relationships out of nowhere. Desperately trying to suck all they can from someone else’s fame and once they have what they want, they simply throw away that person, just like a piece of garbage.

Fortunately, that has never been his case, the name he has made for himself in the industry has been all thanks to his hard-work, since being honest, he hates the kind of people who look to get everything in the easy way. Moreover, that is also something that has been bugging him, if he takes a look at Hino’s career, he cannot say that she is the kind of person that has not worked to obtain her reputation.

“Does that mean…” Rikka trails off, he does not want to accept it, he does not want to consider the possibility that Hino’s feelings for Dai are real.

His thoughts are suddenly interrupted when he hears his phone buzzing, an upcoming call. He looks at the clock on his night-table, almost 10:00pm. The pink haired hurries to answer the call and quickly sees at the caller ID, Dai.

“Hi there, how are you?” the older man feels more than happy when he hears his voice that comes out with such a joyful tone.

“Better now that I’m talking with you,” the younger replies, Rikka is more than sure that there is a small smile on Dai’s face.

“Long day, huh?”

He hears as Dai sighs and probably is sitting on his bed; the light blue haired man takes a moment to keep talking which makes Rikka think that whatever he needs to say might be something related to Hino. The pink haired also sits down on his bed and takes a deep breath.

“Remember, I told you we have to talk more to avoid misunderstandings,” the smaller man says and prepares for whatever that Dai needs to say.

“I just can’t believe she likes to go out so much, I just want to stay in my room and rest, but she insists on going out,” the boy complaints.

A part of Rikka is satisfied that Dai is trusting him, then the other part is willing to leave Hino on her place so she can leave Dai alone and let him rest. However, his thoughts are once again interrupted when he hears that his lover sighs once again.

“Anyways, I didn’t call you this late to talk about her,” that phrase brings more happiness to Rikka than what he could have imagined, “Tsubasa just texted me and told me you’re coming, is that true?”

The pink haired man feels overjoy when he listens to Dai being so enthusiastic about his upcoming visit.

“Yes, I was about to text you about that,” Rikka replies, “I’m gonna be there for two days, but at least we will talk and maybe… you know do our thing.”

Dai laughs, he honestly wants to do it with Rikka.

“It’d be nice… I miss your touch,” the younger boy admits, “our schedules were too packed before this, so we didn’t… well you know.”

Rikka hums in understanding, it’s been probably a month since the last time they share an intimate moment together. Moreover, being honest, they know they are just dreaming about the chance of having sex while Rikka is in Kyoto. Between the photoshoot, the recording, and trying to find the perfect time and place, it’d be simply impossible. 

“Well, maybe… for now… let’s be creative,” the pink haired man expresses with a husky voice and feeling ready to try something new for their relationship.

“Creative?” Dai asks and quickly he goes to lock his door, whatever Rikka is thinking he knows it will be better to have complete privacy.

“Are you sitting on your bed, Dai?” Rikka asks him and the younger says yes, “imagine I’m right there with you, between your legs, right now I’m unbuttoning my shirt, looking straight at you with hungry eyes, what do you want to do?”

Dai gulps, he knows that he has been longing for Rikka, but not to the point of feeling his mouth dry by just imagining him performing that action.

“I want… I want to lick and touch your nipples, all your chest, all your abdomen,” the boy says after a while.

“I love when you do that, when you relentlessly go through my chest, licking, pinching, and touching every inch of my body,” the pink haired says as he starts touching his own body and feeling as the chills starts going through his body by picturing Dai’s large hands giving him that treatment.

“I want you, Rikka,” Dai whispers over the phone, but it is still enough for Rikka to hear him.

“You can keep touching me while I massage your big and hard dick, would you like that?”

Rikka’s voice is more seductive than ever, Dai shudders just by listening to each word that the pink haired man says. Thus, without giving a lot of thought, Dai unzips and lowers his pants. For a brief moment, he feels embarrassed of seeing how hard he is at the moment, but there is no time for that, after an erotic moan the pink haired talks again to him.

“Have you set it free? Am I able to touch it now?” Rikka asks, he is still working on his nipples and his voice sounds sexier with every passing second.

“Yes…”

“I love to move my hand slowly from your testicles to the tip, teasingly moving one of my fingers inside the tip and then giving a gentle stroke,” the pink haired details every action and he knows that Dai is carefully following as he hears him grunting.

The pink haired mischievously smiles, they are both thirsty and needy of each other.

“I know you are having fun with my nipples right now, but I must suck you, you know? it’s so big, so delicious, I need to have you in my mouth.”

The pink haired enjoys listening to Dai groaning and so he keeps narrating every one of his actions.

“You like it when I swallow you slowly, right?”

“Yes, it feels good, too good!”

“Then, imagine I’m there, I give a light kiss to your cock, my lips slightly touching it and tempting you into the warmness that my mouth can give you,” Rikka describes and he starts touching himself around his lower parts too.

“Please, swallow it now…” Dai begs, even if they are not together, just visualizing the action, just thinking about Rikka gulping him down is more than enough.

“You are too impatient, so I slowly swallow you, my warm mouth wraps you and sucks you slowly, enjoying the taste of your dick,” the smaller man says as he licks his fingers to try to imitate the sounds, “but you know Dai, you have left me a bit abandon…”

“I… I need to prepare you, I want you to have me inside of you soon,” Dai replies, he feels useless compare to Rikka while having phone sex, but at least he needs to try.

“Mmm, that sounds good, it’s just what I need, so are you gonna be gentle with me? How many fingers?” the pink haired asks him, he has already taken off his pants and is desperate looking for the lube that he has on one of his drawers.

“Rough, too rough because I need you soon, I put in two fingers,” the younger man says as he keeps stroking his own dick.

Suddenly, he listens to Rikka moaning and panting.

“Are you gonna leave your fingers just there?” he asks, and Dai can listen to how drained Rikka’s voice is already.

“No, I move them in an out, scissoring inside of you, I can’t be patient, I can’t wait… I put a third finger in.”

Dai expresses and when he hears the loud and sinful moan coming from Rikka, he feels as his abdomen tenses, he is reaching a good point.

“You’re extremely good, Dai,” Rikka says while he gasps for air, “are you going to penetrate me now? Or are you still able to wait a bit more? Or do you want to pleasure me and break me?”

“I ent…”

The younger man stops right there, someone is knocking on his door.

“Dai?” Rikka calls him in the middle of more panting, but the light blue haired man does not reply yet, he waits to see if the person out of his room is still there.

Then, the knocking persists, it’s late for someone to come and look for him in his room, but what about if it is something important?

“Someone… someone is out,” Dai says with some difficulty as he tries to even his breathing in case he has to go to the door.

“Ignore the person, we are in the middle of…”

“_Dai-kun? I know you’re there, the light is on!_” a young woman practically yells from outside the room.

Hino Gou, once again interrupting them. Rikka hears as Dai mutters some words, it does not matter that he was reaching his climax, all is gone once he listens to that girl. Rikka knows that he needs to be mature and show his support to Dai, so even if he does not want to end their moment like this, he sighs and then talks.

“It’s ok, Dai… is it too bad down there for you?” Rikka asks.

“A lot…” he feels ashamed of accepting how good he was feeling with just a phone conversation, but he has to be honest.

“Anything cold that you have around?”

Dai looks at the mini refrigerator he has in his room, there are some sodas there that could help him at the moment.

“_Dai-kun!?_” Hino yells again.

“One moment,” he says to her and stands up, “this is going to be an awful experience,” Dai tells to Rikka and the pink haired man laughs.

“It’s for you to learn that you need to turn off the light when having phone sex,” the older man says in the middle of giggling, “anyways, since when do we have sex with the lights on?”

“Don’t start…” Dai replies and quickly all Rikka can hear is Dai muttering some curses.

The pink haired tries hard not to laugh, just imagining Dai in that situation is hilarious. When the muttering is over, Rikka takes a deep breath and talks again.

“I’ll call you tomorrow, ok?” 

“Yes, and I’ll see you in two days.”

They both blow a kiss and then they hang up the phone. Hurriedly, Dai goes to the door and open it, revealing a young woman who is pouting and evidently angry.

“Why did it take you so long?”

“I was on the phone, sorry,” being honest, Dai does not even know why he is apologizing, but somehow, he feels it is necessary.

“With Sera-san, right?”

The light blue haired man feels as his blood freezes, how does she know? Did she listen to their conversation? How long was she out?

“I’ve seen you two are too closed since you call or text each other every day,” the girl expresses making him see that she has paid closed attention to each one of his actions, “it’s interesting since you are actually Okui’s childhood friend, right?”

“Well… yes, but Rikka has been a good senior, you know…” Dai replies and begs to any kind of divine power that he is not blushing.

“Then, you are the perfect one!”

Dai looks clueless at the girl, the perfect one for what?

*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*

It is finally the day of his trip to Kyoto and he has to admit that he feels better than ever. The fact of visiting Dai has made him happier than expected which at the same time makes him feel more relief knowing that all the negative feelings have gone away. Of course, it can also be attributed to their last phone conversation when no one interrupted them.

“Once again, I hope nothing but the best from you,” Shiki tells him when he is about to leave the dorms.

“I’ll promise everything will be fine,” the pink haired man replies, he does feel more positive about the whole scenario they are facing so he really wants to reassure Shiki.

“Give a hug from me to Dai-chan! And have a nice trip!”

“I will and thank you, see you in two days!”

They see as the pink haired man goes out, he will be meeting with Haiduki downstairs and their manager will take Rikka to the train station. Even after some minutes Shiki and Tsubasa do not move away from the door.

“It’s like… we need to go and make sure everything will be fine, right?”

“So, you also feel it?” Shiki asks him and the blond nods.

Shiki sighs this could have been his worst decision as the leader and producer, but he can only trust Rikka that everything will be fine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been pretty regular with this fic, but since Rikka's bday is coming -and I don't think it'd be nice to have the next chapter of this fic as his bday present- I need to start working on something for him, so it might take a while to post an update over here... thank you for reading!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally, Rikka and Dai are able to see each other after two weeks, but having the ideal meeting is just a dream when Hino is always there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'ts been a long time since I've been able to update a fic almost weekly, thank you for reading!

**Chapter 5**

For some reason, the silent trip he had with Haiduki to the train station has made him feel more uncomfortable than what he could have thought. Rikka has been able to notice that their manager has been looking at him occasionally, as if trying to find the moment and the right words to say. Nevertheless, it didn’t happen.

Once they get to Tokyo Station, Haiduki leads him towards the entrance with easiest access to the Shinkansen that will take him to Kyoto.

“For a two days trip you sure packed a lot,” the manager finally expresses some words and Rikka wryly laughs.

“I like to be prepared, you never know what can happen,” he replies and waits, after all the train will not be leaving the station until in twenty minutes.

The pink haired man gives a polite look to Haiduki; however, with that look he is requesting the man to speak and say what has been on his mind.

“Remember, I’ll be waiting for you here in two days, you’ll be getting back at 5:50pm, if there’s any delay you can text me,” the older man mentions, still looking slightly distressed.

“Got it,” Rikka kindly replies, “anything else you need to clarify?”

“No, not at all, it’s better if you go now, you don’t want to miss the train, right?”

“No, I don’t; thank you Haiduki-san, see you in two days.”

Rikka takes his suitcase and handbag and leaves his manager behind. He is aware of the fact that no one is trusting him. The pink haired has been able to see the same kind of look from Shiki, Tsubasa, and now Haiduki. The weight on his heart increases, what if something happens? What if he cannot control his emotions? As he walks towards the gate for his train with thousands of thoughts thundering his mind, he receives a message from Dai.

‘Hino-san and I will be waiting for you with her manager at the station.’

Rikka smiles, he is happy to know that Dai is also looking forward to seeing him. Now, all he has to do is rest during his trip and focus on performing a great job.

*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*

The youngest member of SolidS has felt happier today than any other day while being in Kyoto. Of course, after two weeks he is finally able to see his lover and if everything goes well, he will have the chance to spend some time with Rikka alone.

“Dai-kun, your face is glowing, you really admire Sera-san, don’t you?” he is brought back to reality by Hino.

“Ah, it’s mainly because I’ve felt confused at some stuff, so it would be good to have his advice,” the man replies and clears his throat, “you probably relate to the feeling, right? Since you mentioned you admire Rikka too.”

The girl nods, the other night when Hino has gone to Dai’s room; she has gone with the intention of asking Dai as much information about Rikka as possible. The reason that was given was that in fact she has admired Rikka since she was a little girl and has always dreamt about working with him. Thus, they have spent that night talking about Rikka’s personality, how he is at work, and other kind of stuff about the pink haired.

“Yes, I am actually thankful you have been willing to talked to me so much about Sera-san,” the dark-pink haired girl continues, “that would help me a lot to do a better job with him.”

“There’s no need to thank me.”

The young man replies and smiles at the girl. The fact that both are going to pick Rikka up at the train station is also part of all the marketing strategy. The two stars for the upcoming movie plus another one of the SolidS boys will bring more headlines and more media talking about them.

“Today we all have the interview for the magazine,” Gou suddenly speaks up again, “I’m a bit nervous for being with two handsome boys at the same time, but of course, my heart only belongs to you, Dai-kun,” the girl says winking at Dai.

This phrase has been repeating so many times by the girl since they started their fake relationship that Dai has started to see it as something normal. After all, the man does not feel anything when Hino says the words.

“I don’t really think it’s necessary to act like a couple when we are alone,” it’s what Dai replies without looking at the girl, “we know it’s just for promoting the movie.”

A little discomfort is quickly shown on Hino’s face, but she lets it go.

“So, you mean we only need to behave as a couple in front of other people? You know, when we are in public?”

Dai’s attention is now totally focused on the girl, he looks a bit confused, but trying to understand what she really means.

“If we are supposed to do this for marketing, yes, only in front of other people,” he replies hoping that he has not gotten himself into a mess.

“You said it, Dai-kun.”

“We’re here,” Hino’s manager announces letting them know that they have arrived at the train station, “Sera-san’s train must get here in fifteen minutes more or less, it would be better if you two…”

“Suminomiya-san, I think it would be nice for Sera-san if we go all together, after all he doesn’t know you,” the girl expresses, and the manager cannot contradict her words.

As soon as Dai gets off the car, his first impulse is to go as fast as possible to look for Rikka. Nevertheless, the young man sees as Hino asks him to hold her hand and walk side by side with her. Internally, he prays that Rikka does not get to misinterpret this, after all this is one of those moments in which any journalist can be around ready to snap a picture of them.

“I’m so excited to finally meet Sera-san,” Hino mentions as they walk to the exit door for people who has travelled on the Shinkansen from Tokyo, “when he became an idol, I was so sad thinking that I would never be able to work with him.”

“I’m happy for you,” Dai says with all honesty looking at her, definitely a scene that could be considered romantic between two lovers.

A scene that is the first view that Rikka sees as he walks through Kyoto station. The pink haired man takes a deep breath, it is ‘normal’ that they have to look like this in public, it is ‘normal’ that Dai has to look at her with his kind and beautiful sapphire eyes in that way.

“It is normal,” the pink haired man mutters under his breath as he goes closer, “Dai!” he says trying to get the tallest man’s attention.

“Rikka! You’re here!” the man exclaims and Rikka can see a brighter look that is given only to him, and so his raging heart calms a bit. 

“It’s been kind of a long time, you look great,” the smaller man continues, he wishes he could hug Dai, that he could kiss him, that he could remove Hino’s hand from Dai’s hand and make him hold his instead, “and obviously you must be Hino, Gou-san, right?”

“Yes, it’s my pleasure to finally meet you, Sera-san!” the girl replies and politely bows.

“Please, there’s no need of doing that,” the man says.

“Since we are all together, it is better if we move to the restaurant for the lunch we have scheduled and then to the interview,” Suminomiya specifies and leads the way out of the station, taking Rikka’s suitcase and bag with him.

The pink haired man thanks the manager for the action and immediately he goes next to Dai, just a natural action for him, but not really appropriate at the moment. The young model looks with intrigue eyes at the slender man and mischievously smiles.

“You two are closer than what I imagined, maybe he can be our best-man,” Hino comments in the middle of giggels.

“Best-man? I … why?”

“Well, he could be the one showing support for our relationship and stuff like that, you know like a sponsor,” the girl replies and Rikka fights against his need of shut her up.

Dai sighs, really, what are these ideas? He can easily perceive as Rikka’s mood is changing and he needs to stop this before it can be too late.

“Hino… Gou-chan, we have talked about this, this relationship…”

“Shhhh!!! Someone could listen to you over here, and I’m joking, you should already know that, Dai-kun!”

The tallest man sighs one more time, even if that was a joke, Rikka will not take it like that. Dai can already see as the pink haired man’s posture is different, it is clearly that Rikka will not take any single word from Hino as a joke. Thankfully, they reach the vehicle without any other uncomfortable moment for Dai. Nevertheless, once in the car, Hino sits next to the light blue haired man without given any opportunity to Rikka to argue; although, being honest, he cannot have an argument for stuff like this, they have to pretend that they are simply band mates, nothing else.

*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*

If Rikka could have known that this trip would demand every single ounce of self-control and patience he has, he wouldn’t have come. Throughout lunch time he has to witness Hino clinging to Dai, calling him nicknames, not only the disgusting ‘Dai-kun’, but even more; he has to see as the girl kisses Dai’s cheek, just in case that there were any journalists around. The pink haired has seen every single moment in which they hold hands and Hino gets to frequently kiss Dai’s hands as well. At the time of having dessert, Rikka is already feeling too sick and so he has to excuse himself to run away to the restroom and take a break.

When he is finally alone, he cannot avoid hitting one of the walls, why did he have to come? Maybe Shiki was right, he was not ready for this. How come he cannot control his emotions? Why is it that he feels his heart beating so fast and his blood reaching the highest boiling point?

“Rikka?” he hears as Dai comes in the bathroom calling out for him, slowly he opens the door allowing the tallest man to see him.

“Are you alright? Why are you crying?” the younger man asks him, but if he has to be honest, he has not realized he has been crying.

“Eh? I … I don’t know, really,” the pink haired replies and clears his tears with his hands, “I’m alright, I’m sorry, I didn’t want to bother you.”

He knows it is a lie, he knows that Dai is not going to believe that.

“Listen Dai, I…”

He cannot finish his phrase, Dai has leaned towards him to kiss him. It is a short sweet kiss which makes Rikka smile again.

“I’ve been wanting to do that since I saw you,” the tallest admits with a blushed face.

“Dai…” Rikka whispers and is getting closer to Dai, maybe a restroom is not the most romantic place, but they can be alone in here.

“Murase-san, Sera-san,” or that is what he thought, “I apologize, but we have to get going to where the interview will take place.”

Suminomiya has come to the restroom to look for the two idols. Dai quickly puts some distance between them, hoping that the manager has not seen any of their actions.

“Understood, we’ll be there soon.” Rikka replies for them and sighs, it is for sure going to be difficult to have time for them, “He didn’t see anything Dai, don’t worry.”

Rikka says when he notices the concerned look on the younger man’s face. Taking a deep breath, he indicates to Dai that is better to get going and move back with Hino and her manager. Once the group is complete, they move to their next meeting point.

*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*

The magazine that has set up the photo session has also requested an interview with the three celebrities. According to what Shiki informed him, they want to have a broader view for the article; so, having him paired up with Hino, as well as Dai with Hino will open more opportunities to find something that can fit the readers’ interests. Of course, this will also provide more exposure to the actress and the movie in general.

If Rikka should describe the questions, at the beginning they are all normal. Stuff about knowing each other, expectations about working together, future projects they will like to have, questions that he can easily overcome, and he feels happy about it. However, he has recently started to understand that a peaceful moment cannot last forever.

“Now, for Murase-san, most fans are impressed by seeing that the shy man from SolidS is the first one to officially have a public relationship, and not any kind of relationship,” the interviewer says smiling at Hino and Dai blushes, “what do you have to say about it?”

Rikka is confused, he feels angry about the question, but he also feels worried, how is Dai going to answer that?

“It might be unexpected, but Gou-chan was able to know how to get to me, I guess.”

“Dai-kun, you are still too shy!” the girl adds giggling and clinging to the light blue haired man, “working together was a huge advantage, we got to know more about each other and that’s what really helped me to get to him.”

Rikka tries to breathe in and out, trying to calm his heart beat, hoping his face is not turning red and hoping that if he needs to talk, he can do it without a problem.

“I see, so, Sera-san, what are SolidS thoughts about their relationship?”

The pink haired mentally curses, he wishes Tsubasa could be here, without a doubt the blond man will be able to give a better answer.

“We were surprised when this happened, but…” he pauses for a moment and looks at Dai, “but now, we are happy for him, he… well Dai deserves to be happy.”

An awful answer, an awful way to reply, but Rikka could feel as his heart was shattering with every word he said. Why is he doing this? He should have stayed in Tokyo, this is more than what he can take.

“So, I assume every member of SolidS will be at the movie premiere to support their youngest member?” the man from the magazine continues.

Rikka feels as there’s a knot on his throat, he cannot further answer, he hates to lie about all of this.

“Of course,” Hino is the one who quickly takes the lead, “I mean, it wouldn’t be good if they are not there, right?” she asks to both guys looking at them with a huge smile.

“Yes, they are sure going to the premiere,” Dai adds and looks at Rikka hoping that he can provide an answer too.

“Totally, we will not miss such important moment for him.”

In all honesty, Rikka does not want to see nor know anything about this movie. He wishes all of this could be just a bad dream and that tomorrow he will wake up in the dorm right next to Dai. Nevertheless, as the interview keeps going, he affirms how real this nightmare has been. The pink haired man has lost the perception of time while he keeps forcing himself to smile and provide and answer when necessary.

“Well, I think I already have enough material for the article,” the man says and stops the recorder, “It has been a pleasure to work with all of you, Hino-san, Murase-san, and of course Sera-san.”

“Likewise,” the three celebrities reply in unison.

“My partners will be working with all of you for the photos, but I already know they are going to be great, your dynamics are great,” the interviewer keeps talking and they just nod, the interviewer without a doubt is a persistent person.

Truth to be told, the model and idols are more than thankful when Suminomiya-san comes to get them to take them back to the hotel. Politely, they say good bye to the interviewer showing their gratitude for the opportunity and letting him know that they are also excited for tomorrow’s work.

“Thank you so much, Suminomiya-san,” Hino is the first one to express, “the guy was too nice, and I didn’t know how to stop him, right Dai-kun?”

“Yes, that’s true, what do you think Rikka?” the light blue haired man questions his real lover, probably trying to allow him to feel included in the conversation.

“I feel embarrassed, I felt a bit too off during the interview and at the end… I’m probably just tired,” Rikka prefers to conclude instead of keep talking nonsense.

“You were great as always,” Dai responds so naturally and with such kind smile that makes Rikka feel at ease.

“It’s true Sera-san, you were amazing,” Hino adds as they get in the car once again, “and the good part is that we are going to the hotel, if you want you can stay there.”

Rikka stares a bit confused at Hino.

“Ah… Gou-san… I would actually like to stay in the hotel today, I don’t really want to go out tonight,” the taller man quickly mentions in the hope that he can spend some more time with Rikka, “I’m also tired and we are going to get back to recording soon.”

“Dai-kun! It’s not fair, we have a reservation in a really nice restaurant… let’s go at least for a while,” she insists while she gets closer to Dai and pouts.

At that moment, Rikka feels as a fire has been ignited inside of him. Is this the way in which she has been dragging Dai to go out with her? The pink haired man feels the urge to talk, to ruin their outing, but before he can even say a work, Dai has already agreed.

“Just two hours, no more,” the young man replies giving in.

“Yay! Let’s hurry Suminomiya-san, we have to be very punctual today!” the girl exclaims triumphantly, “and of course Sera-san you can take then all the time you need to rest while we are out.”

“Thank you, Hino-san.”

Of course, it takes a huge effort for Rikka to let the words out, especially pretending to be thankful for Hino’s consideration. Once they arrive to the hotel, Dai volunteers to help Rikka finds his room so that Suminomiya can have time to inform they are already in the hotel.

“Fine, but see you in twenty minutes, ok?” Gou says as he sees that Dai goes into the elevator with Rikka.

“Yes, see you.”

The younger sighs as they are finally alone.

“You could have rejected her, you know? If you are as tired as you said, the best is to rest.”

The older man expresses with a cold voice, and Dai feels the tension going through all his body. It was more than obvious that this will be the way in which Rikka would react.

“Rikka…”

“You don’t have to go with me to my room, I can find it by myself,” the pink haired man continues, “maybe if you really come back in 2 hours you can go to my room so we can talk.”

Dai feels as there is something inside of him about to reach the limit, why doesn’t Rikka understand that this is about work? The taller man cracks his neck and sighs one more time.

“Let me go with you, ok? It won’t take me long to get ready and I promise I will go to your room when I get back,” he expresses hoping that it can be a good answer for Rikka.

Nevertheless, as the elevator hits the right floor, Rikka takes his suitcase and stands in front of the doors.

“I need to calm down a bit, so it will be better to talk later.”

That is all he says and starts walking towards his room. A part of Dai screams to go after him, but the one who wins the argument prefers to give time to Rikka; maybe later will be easier to talk. Thus, he presses the button to go to his floor and get ready, he has all the hopes that Hino will keep his word and they will come back in two hours.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I believe... next chapter will have a lot of drama...


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jealousy can drive a person to the edge and make that person lose control.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What happens in this chapter is the reason why I started to write the fic... so, just iamgine this was supposed to be one shot and the reason why I wanted to write the fic gets to happen until chapter 6 hahahahaha... anyways, hope you enjoy the chapter!

**Chapter 6**

Since he has gotten to his room, he has been lying on his bed, not willing to unpack, watch TV nor go to the hotel’s restaurant to get something to eat. Even worst, he has not stopped eyeing the clock that is on the wall, counting down the hours and minutes to see if Dai really comes back in a 2 hours time frame.

Just what kind of person is he becoming?

Throughout their relationship, things have been working out so well because they have been able to trust each other without a problem. Rikka knows that he will blindly trust his life to Dai and he knows that he will be safe. Then, why can’t he trust his lover with this situation? Is it because all of this is a lie? Is it because the fake relationship has been public from the beginning? Does he really feel threaten by Hino?

The pink haired man grunts and runs a hand through his hair, he wishes he could text someone. Nevertheless, texting Shiki or Tsubasa will allow them to feel worried; and even worst admitting that Shiki was right from the beginning and that he shouldn’t have come to this photo session. Unfortunately, texting someone else is out of the possibilities, none of his old comrades in modelling know about his relationship with Dai, and texting his parents is also just so out of the question.

Rikka looks again at the clock, it has been around an hour and forty-five minutes since Dai left the hotel with Hino. How does he know the exact time? He saw them left the hotel from the window, which is an action he has regretted with all his heart. Looking at Hino clinging to Dai’s arm, giving him a look full of love and smiling at him.

“She does behave as a real girlfriend…” Rikka murmurs and rolls his eyes, “Why is she taking this so seriously?”

He wonders out loud and hits with his fit the mattress and feels a sharp pain in his chest. Indeed, this is hurting him so much that he does not even realize of the moment in which he has already started to cry. However, he has become more conscious about it after Dai pointed it out to him earlier that day. Thus, he has started to remember, he cried the day in which the relationship was made public, he cried the day in which he didn’t reply in the best way to Dai, he also cried the day he spoke with his lover and felt empty after the conversation. All those days he has been crying alone, trying to disguise his suffering with a moody tempered, but seeing Dai and Hino act like a couple is slowly breaking down the walls he has made to protect himself.

Wishing to only forget about the stuff that has been bothering him, Rikka falls sleep.

*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*

An annoying buzzing keeps vibrating, the pink haired wants to ignore it and just sleep, when he sleeps his mind is able to find some peace. Nonetheless, the irritating sound seems to not disappear and so he opens his eyes. Immediately, he starts looking for his cellphone and feels confused, what time is it? How long has he been sleeping? When he finally focuses his sight, he looks at the clock, it marks 10:25pm and then he looks at the ID caller, it’s Dai.

“Hello? Dai?” Rikka asks his voice sounds a bit hoarse.

“Is it alright if I go to your room?” the younger man asks.

“Sure, you can come.”

“Thanks.”

There are no further words, probably Dai is already on his way to Rikka’s room and that means that the pink haired needs to hurry. What would Dai think if he sees the room? The taller man knows better than anyone how much he loves to unpack whatever he brings to a trip to be more organized; as well as he rarely sleeps in the outfit he has worn during the day. Nevertheless, it does not matter how much he could hurry, in less than 2 minutes someone is knocking on his door. Rikka sighs, he should have known better that Dai calling him to ask for permission meant that he was already closed to his room. The pink haired man walks to the door and cautiously opens it.

“I’m sorry, I really tried to be back sooner, but…”

“Hino, right?”

“Rikka…” Dai sighs after he has said her name, there it is, the frustration in Dai’s eyes.

“Come in, we should not let anyone see that we are together at this time,” Rikka expresses, he still feels half asleep and whatever may happen, it’s better that it can happen inside his room.

It does not take Dai too long to realize that the pink haired man has been just lying down. The suitcase is in a corner of the room, untouched; and there are no personal care items on the night table that belong to Rikka.

“Are you alright, Rikka?” the younger questions him looking him in the eyes.

Rikka nods, trying to keep himself together, trying to stop all the turmoil in his mind. However, he can already recognize that there are tears forming in his eyes.

“Don’t lie to me, not when it’s so obvious that you are not alright.”

Dai expresses and tries to hug him, but Rikka rejects the gesture.

“I… I’m just confused,” Rikka expresses, “Seeing you with Gou… you two do look like a real couple.”

Dai hates those words, he hates the way Rikka said them. The younger tries to calm down before he says something that can hurt the pink haired.

“Dai… I’m sorry, I really wanted to have a real conversation, but I feel too tired and…”

“This is not going to end well if we keep going on like this,” Dai suddenly mentions before the pink haired man asks him to leave the room, “you do realize that I will be in Kyoto for two more weeks and then I have to keep working on the movie for at least another month, right?”

The statement is clear, and it is something that Rikka has been well aware of, but it is more painful than what he could have thought.

“I know,” that’s all what the pink haired man says.

“Then, we must talk, why don’t you want to accept my word? Why do you keep suspecting about me?”

Dai keeps talking, he has been keeping so much for himself, he has been acting as patient as possible. The younger man has been allowing Rikka’s behavior, since talking and seeing each other’s reactions has been impossible. Nevertheless, now there is no option for them to run away.

“Tell me… why are you so jealous of her?”

“What?” Rikka questions, jealous? It cannot be, why would he be jealous of her?

The younger man sighs, he knew that it wouldn’t be easy to confront Rikka with this, but he needs to do it. Dai takes a seat on Rikka’s bed and tries to think the best way to say what is on his mind.

“Today during the interview… I said you were great as usual, but there was something different,” Dai starts talking, “every time she spoke you looked at her with hatred, I felt how you wanted to pull her hands away from me…”

The taller man stops a moment as he sees that Rikka seems to be shocked about the actions that he didn’t even realize he was performing back then. Dai takes deep breath and continues.

“I know Hino-san and the journalist didn’t notice, but I know you Rikka, I know when you are not being yourself,” the man expresses and looks at the pink haired straight into his eyes without hesitation.

“That’s not true, you… I mean… you can’t know me that well…” the pink haired man states, no one has ever known him so well, no one has ever been capable of decipher his emotions.

“So, after all we have been through together you are telling me that I don’t know you?” Dai questions him, there’s some disbelief in his tone of voice.

“That’s not what I meant, it’s just that…”

Rikka stops there, what is he supposed to say? He is starting to admit to himself that he is in fact jealous of Hino. Jealous that she can go out hugging Dai, holding Dai’s hand, claiming to the world that they are a couple.

“_Dai-kun!!! Are you here_???” a knocking on the door and a female voice can be heard out of the room. 

Rikka curses in his mind, why is it that this girl cannot stay in her own room for a damn night? On the other hand, Dai sighs, he really wanted to stay longer with Rikka, but if Hino has come, now he must leave so she does not start to suspect about them. The younger stands up and grunts, but as soon as he is willing to start walking towards the door Rikka stops him.

“Don’t go with her, please,” he begs looking to Dai’s eyes, “stay with me, please… it’s been too long since we shared a night together.”

Dai feels as his heart is going to break, he does want to stay. However, he also feels that if he does, he will only be more permissive of Rikka’s wrong behavior.

“_Dai-kun_???!!!”

Hino calls him again, Dai looks at the door, this definitely will not have a good ending.

“I’m sorry,” he whispers in Rikka’s ear and moves towards the door.

The pink haired man feels as the tears start forming on the corner of his eyes as well as the pressure of the knot on his throat grows bigger. Rikka listens to the door being opened by Dai.

“Dai-kun! So, I was right, you were with Sera-san!” he hears as the girl exclaims.

“Is there something you need, Hino-san?”

Dai questions her, a part of Rikka wanted to believe that Dai would stay, but shortly after he hears as the door is closed and he cannot listen to Dai nor Hino anymore. Rikka feels as his heart aches, the awful sensation of it struggling to keep beating and the unwanted pressure on his head becoming stronger. He counts to ten and then he let himself cry.

The rest of the night is the worst he has ever had. Crying, sleeping but waking up all of a sudden by the dreadful feeling of loneliness that he has always feared the most.

*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°

The following morning, Rikka hears the consistent knocking on his room’s door. Feeling his body heavier due to the lack of rest and his eyes swollen for the insistent crying, he drags himself towards the door. The pain is immediately back as he sees Dai.

“I know things didn’t end up well yesterday, but I’ve been worried for you, and I wanted to come and check on you before meeting with all.”

The younger expresses as soon as he sees Rikka, the pink haired simply moves back inside letting the door opened so Dai can understand that he can come in, which the younger does. Rikka looks at the clock, it’s only 6:10am, probably Dai had a terrible night as well and the guilt did not allow him to sleep. The smaller man takes a seat on his bed, which is a total mess, but right now he couldn’t care less about it.

“I…” Rikka starts speaking but stops as he hears how hoarse his voice is, he clears his voice and then speaks up again, “I know I’m jealous of her, Dai.”

He finally admits and it is one of the hardest things he has ever done.

“You don’t…”

“Listen to me first, please…” Rikka asks him and the taller man nods, “I know you don’t have feelings for her, but she clearly does, I don’t care if this is a fake relationship, I’m sure she wants to make it real.”

The pink haired states, his voice trembling by the end of his words, fearing that they can become real.

“Why do you keep fearing that? Why can’t you trust me?” Dai questions, he has been repeating the same from the moment all this chaos started, “I’m not interested at all in Hino, all I want is that you can trust me!”

Rikka remains silence, yes, he trusts Dai, but the biggest problem is Hino.

“I’ve asked you only one thing from the beginning and that is to trust me,” Dai breaks the silence and looks at Rikka in the eyes, “so I’ll ask you one more time, do you trust me?”

The pink haired hesitates with his answer, slowly he nods, unable to provide a verbal answer.

“This has been killing me Rikka, I want to quit the movie, I asked Haiduki-san about the possibilities of quitting. However, the contract is too strict, if I do Tsukino Production will be in more than one legal problem… I can’t do that to the company.”

Dai states, the pink haired man knows he is saying the truth. The younger stops for a moment, he has thought so much about possible solutions, about a way in which they can be at ease with each other.

“Haiduki-san and Shiki said… they said that if we tell the president about our relationship…”

“No, please don’t…” the younger exclaims, “I don’t want our relationship to be public, it’s the worst that we can do.”

Honestly, Rikka feels hurt by the words, especially by the fact that Dai did not even think about it and simply rejected the proposal as soon as it was given. They stay in silence one more time, Dai now takes a seat next to Rikka, he hopes the pink haired does not reject him as he did yesterday. The time goes by and they keep staring at nothing.

“There’s still a lot to work for this movie,” Dai says again, “a lot of days in which we are not going to be able to see each other, I don’t want to make any wrong decision for us not to be able to talk properly.”

“Please, don’t say it.” Rikka says in the middle of sobs, he just hates the idea of more lonely nights and the situations that can come up during that time frame.

Dai moves closer to Rikka to hug him, and this time the pink haired man accepts the hug. He leans towards Dai desperately as if the taller man’s body will give him all the warmth and love he needs to survive. Slowly Dai starts caressing Rikka’s hair, he wishes they could stay all day like this, ignoring their responsibilities and forgetting about the damn movie.

Carefully, the younger reaches for Rikka’s lips and gently he kisses the pink haired man. Enjoying the taste that he has longed for, feeling complete as their kiss can last as much as they want. Knowing that they have been wishing for the other so badly, they start to slowly lie on the bed, Dai moves over Rikka, framing the smaller man’s body and with the urge of keeping him just to himself. The pink haired almost instantly wraps his arms around Dai’s torso, he does not want to let him go, he does not want to be away from Dai anymore.

As the younger starts to lean closer to share another kiss, his cellphone starts buzzing, just what time is it that there is already someone bugging them? Dai grunts and looks at Rikka with apologetically eyes so he can answer the phone. The caller is Suminomiya-san, he looks at the clock and realizes that they are already late for breakfast.

“Murase-san, I went to your room, but you were not there, is everything alright?” the manager speaks.

“Yes, I’ll be going down in a moment, I came to pick Rikka up, he texted me that he was not feeling well, so I came to check up on him.” Dai quickly replies.

“I see, please hurry as we need to be on time to accomplish the schedule.”

After he said the words, the manager disconnects from the call and Dai curses.

“We have to go now, I believe,” Rikka expresses, sadness more than evident in his voice.

“Yes,” Dai stands up and offers his hand to Rikka to help him up.

The pink haired quickly gets ready, while Dai waits for him. He takes a quick shower and faster than usual he choses the clothes for the day to finally put on some make up on the awful eye bags that he had from last night.

“Promise me that you will be yourself today,” Dai whispers before kissing him one more time.

“I’ll try my best.”

The reply leaves Dai slightly uncomfortable, but he hopes that he can really trust Rikka.

*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*

The photo session has been divided in different parts. First of all, the magazine wants pictures of Dai and Rikka together, then they want to move to pictures of Dai, Rikka and Hino, to later continue with pictures about the two main characters of the movie. Finally, they will end with Rikka and Hino as the two strongest representatives of the modelling world in Japan.

Needless to say, the first part goes smoothly, Dai and Rikka have known each other for so long and they have had so many photoshoots together that they can easily read the other’s movements. The camera man seems to be more excited than usual since their strong presence is completely out of this world and it’s a privilege for him to be able to capture such amazing frames.

“Ah, I think we have a lot of great pictures, please Hino-chan join the party!” the man behind the camera says.

“Yes!” the girl happily exclaimed, she is wearing a white long dress with an unnecessary cleavage, according to Rikka.

Dai observes Rikka by the corner of his eyes, it is clear that the man does not feel comfortable with the change, but they have to do it.

“So, let’s put up a bit of tension, let’s pretend you two have a rivalry over Hino-chan!” the man proposes to help them get an idea of what they need to do.

“Bring back memories to our first photo session,” Dai speaks in a low voice and Rikka mischievously smiles.

“You were such newbie back then,” the pink haired replies, they both know how to bring the right emotion to get the work done in the best way.

They are really getting the idea of representing a competition between them, but of course Hino has to take part of it.

“So cool, but I will always stay by Dai-kun’s side,” she said as she dramatically turns towards Dai making that the younger man hugs her.

In an impulse, Rikka grabs Hino’s wrist, pulling her away from Dai. The two men look shocked at each other, they know the truth. Rikka does not want Hino closed to Dai, but the girl lowly giggles as she keeps portraying her role. Immediately, Dai gets in the middle, placing Gou behind him and standing up in front of Rikka as if he was ready to fight to protect her. Starting to lose the line about the job they are doing and their real feelings, Rikka grabs Dai’s shirt, the gesture looks as a clear declaration of war, but Rikka knows he is frantic about getting Dai to belong just to him. Consequently, Dai takes Rikka’s hand to pull them away from him, but in the middle on this action, Hino places herself between them as if begging them to stop fighting.

“Oh, my dear heaven!!! This has been so intense!!!! I couldn’t stop shooting!!!!” the camera man screams out loud and it brings everyone back to reality, “Time for Hino-chan and Murase-san, but first you gotta change your outfits.”

All of them nod, they slowly move to the changing room. Obviously, Hino moves alone to the women changing room and Dai and Rikka continue to the one for men. They keep silent as they walk, Rikka feels his heart beating way too fast and he is afraid that his face is turning red. Still he cannot control the anger he feels.

“Rikka…”

“We can’t talk, there are more people around,” he quickly states, hoping that Dai does not insist.

The three celebrities get to be ready shortly after and so they start going back to the set.

“Please, be yourself,” Dai tells again to Rikka and looking him in the eyes before anyone can pay attention to them.

The pink haired man feels his heart being teared up, how is Dai asking him this? It’s not easy, he has to see them now portraying a lovely couple, acting as if they were in love. Rikka has to see as Dai carries bridal style the girl, as he kneels in front of her and takes her hand as if he was proposing to her.

The pink haired man keeps repeating that it just acting, that all of this is fake, that these are some silly pictures, that this does not represent nor mean anything to Dai. Then, his own thoughts are interrupted, Hino is asking a moment out.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I just remember I bought something special for today’s photos,” the girl expresses and runs towards her bag taking out of it two little boxes, “I know it may not be the right moment, but I bought these for us.”

Gou says a smile showing on her face as she opens the first box to take out a ring, the girl takes Dai’s hand and starts sliding the ring on the taller man’s finger.

“I’ve seen you wearing an old-fashioned ring, so I wanted that we could wear matching rings that of course are more beautiful.”

The taller man thinks that Hino is obviously talking about the ring that Rikka gave him on his birthday. Dai’s hand trembles, he cannot reject this, not when they are in front of people who do not know that their relationship is fake, but what about Rikka? He wonders as he looks at the pink haired man, Rikka’s look is completely lost, Dai feels as if Rikka has completely disconnected from reality and he is just standing up there by inertia.

“Oh, my dear heaven!!!” the photographer screams once again, “I’m such a lucky man, I had the chance to take pictures of all that freaking cute moment!!! Let’s get some more with you two wearing the rings and then we can move to Hino-chan and Sera-san.”

Gou nods enthusiastically, while Dai is still too awestruck to give a convincing reply. Nevertheless, they keep going with the session.

On the other hand, Rikka is trying his best to keep his composure, he is holding back his need to cry, to scream, to move Hino away from Dai’s arms. How dare she to say that the ring he gave Dai is old-fashioned? How dare she to give Dai a new ring? His mind is going crazy trying to reduce the thoughts, trying to calm down his rage.

“Sera-san, it’s your turn, please come here,” the photographer calls him out and he nods, “for you two let’s try to go the senpai and kouhai way, Hino-chan told me how much she admires you so we can try to portray that in our pictures!”

“Azuma-san!! You didn’t have to say that!” Gou says as a spoiled girl and then looks back at Rikka, “well, it’s the truth, I admire you a lot,” the girl reveals as they are posing for the camera.

“I appreciate the thought,” the pink haired man replies as he gently takes Hino’s hand as if he would be about to guide her in a dance.

“Still, even if I admire you, I won’t let you keep Dai-kun, he has to be mine,” the girl expresses with a fierce look as they move through the set pretending that they are dancing.

The statement of course getting to drive Rikka completely mad. Out of his mind, the pink haired man moves his right leg in a subtle way making the girl trip and causing her to fall in a terrible way.

Immediately, the photos stop, Hino has fallen, and she seems to be hurt. Rikka acts worried about the girl, helping her to sit down and checking her wrist while the rest of the crowd get to them.

“I’m sorry, I’m so clumsy, I don’t know what happened to me.”

Gou says, she truly feels that it was her fault and she does not seem to suspect anything about Rikka.

“I’m afraid I need to take you to the hospital,” Suminomiya interferes and helps the girl to stand up, “Murase-san, Sera-san can you go back to the hotel by your own? ”

“Yes, not a problem, don't worry about us, just let us know about Gou-chan’s condition as soon as possible,” Dai expresses his voice showing real concern.

“Yes, please,” Rikka quickly adds same as several people in the set.

*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*

Rikka feels tensed, since the moment that the accident happened, Dai has not spoken a word to him, the younger man has not even looked at him. when they get to the hotel, they both get to the elevator, the taller man presses the button to go to Rikka’s room, and still the walk from the elevator to the room is in total silence. That is until they are finally inside the room.

“Just what the fuck is wrong with you?” Dai expresses, his voice louder than usual, “why did you do that? You caused the accident Rikka! Maybe no one else noticed it back there, but I did!”

Rikka looks at Dai, he is completely pale, he never thought that his lover could realize of his action.

“Tell me, why? Why did you do that?”

The voice coming from Dai is breaking Rikka’s heart. He sounds so hurt, so disappointed about him, but he could not avoid it, he could not take it anymore.

“She said… she said… she is in love with you Dai, she practically told me and I…”

“Stop it! Stop saying that! It doesn’t matter! I don’t love her, and I will never love her!” the younger screams and slams his hand against the wall, “Rikka… I… I love you, but I can’t accept what you did, and I can’t keep going on like this…”

“Dai… please…”

“I’m breaking up with you.”

The words are said in fast and painful way, the world has stopped for Rikka as he stays numb in the room looking at Dai.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... let's see what happens next XD


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Going through a break up is difficult and every one has a different way to deal with it, in Rikka's case, he has isolated without telling anyone where he is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A quick update, but it's mainly because I'm going to disappear since I need to work on projects I have neglected and I need to finish (not fic related ... I know I have a fic I have abandoned, but not gonna work on that yet)

**Chapter 7**

The world has stopped for Rikka as he stays numb in the room looking at Dai. The younger is so agitated that his whole body is trembling.

Is he so angry? The pink haired wonders as he slowly feels as his senses are coming back.

“Dai…” he whispers the name, but still Rikka does not know what to say.

“We can’t… I can’t keep going on like this, Rikka,” the light blue haired man says, and his voice break a little, he regrets what he has said, but he feels there’s no turning back now, “you’re not acting as the person I love, you are…”

“Leave my room,” the smaller man murmurs.

“Rikka… I…”

“LEAVE!”

The word resonates throughout the room, not capable of trying to say anything better, Dai turns around and leaves the room, slamming the door with all his strength.

*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°°*°*°*

It has been two days since Rikka left the dorms and he is supposed to come back today, Tsubasa remembers as he sees the mess he and Shiki have made during the last days in the kitchen. He has no escape, he will have to start washing the dishes and cleaning around. Before starting his chores, he takes a look at his cellphone, he has not received any message nor phone call from Dai or Rikka.

A part of him wants to believe that everything has gone well with them and that the possible problems the couple could have are already left in the past. The blonde man sighs, it’s better to keep his mind thinking like that. Nevertheless, the other part, which is stronger, keeps having a bad feeling about the weird silence his friends have kept in regards of communication.

“Morning,” Shiki suddenly comes out from his room to get something to drink and eat and greets Tsubasa.

“Hi there,” the younger replies, “Has Rikka texted you?”

Shiki looks up at Tsubasa, the cheerful idol has asked him the same question every day at different times, but his voice has always shown the same worrying tone. The purple haired man sighs, he is in the same situation than Tsubasa, but there is nothing they can do, if Rikka and Dai have decided to keep silent, then they have the right to do it.

“Tsubasa…”

“Got it, got it, I won’t ask anymore, after all Rikka is coming back today, so we can talk to him.”

“Tsubasa…” Shiki says again a bit exasperated now.

“So, what do you want me to do, leader?”

The older man throws his head back, usually Tsubasa calls him leader when he is getting frustrated.

“We are going to give them time, Rikka and Dai need time, we cannot come up in the middle of whatever issue they have and pretend to fix it,” Shiki speaks up, “Rikka has always been a bit possessive when he is in love, and Dai is not good with words, so a misunderstood was meant to happen.”

Tsubasa does not seem really convinced by the words Shiki has said. Even if that is true, there should have been at least one message from either of them, a photo or something. When Shiki is about to continue with his point of view about the whole situation, he is interrupted by a call. Looking at the name on the screen, he feels as Tsubasa and his own fears are going to be verified.

“Haiduki, is everything alright?” Shiki immediately asks not even greeting the person on the other end.

“_Dai just called me, he said Rikka didn’t show up to see the recording as it was supposed to happen_,” Haiduki mentions, “_Dai sounded too worried since Rikka left the hotel and didn’t say a word to him_.”

“Did they have an argument?” Shiki interferes to question and Tsubasa goes to take his cellphone, obviously he is going to call Dai.

“_I don’t know, Dai didn’t mention it to me, but I’m trying to contact Rikka and he does not answer his phone nor messages_,” the manager adds, and Shiki can hear as the man is also working on his computer, “_can you help me out with trying to reach him? I’m also trying to see if he has used any train, or if he is in a different hotel_.”

“I’ll try to get in touch with him,” the man replies and hangs up the phone.

When he does, he listens to Tsubasa, he is already on the phone and having a conversation with Dai.

“You did what?????!!!!!”

The scream coming from Tsubasa startles Shiki and so he goes closer to the blonde man. The younger looks shocked and his breathing is going too fast. Shiki knows Tsubasa is trying his best to stay calmed, just what did Dai do?

“I’m not gonna take that, Dai! Explain to me what happened now!” Tsubasa expresses, he does not even call his friend by the playful nickname and he is not even looking at Shiki.

“_I can’t… I… I know that the fact that Rikka is missing is my fault, Tsubasa… but… I don’t really wanna talk now_,” Dai says, he sounds exhausted and emotionally tired.

Tsubasa’s heart breaks a bit, he can feel Dai’s pain, but if he does not know what happened, how is he supposed to help his dear childhood friend? The blonde man breathes in and out several times before speaking again.

“Dai-chan, you can trust me, alright?”

He listens as Dai chokes a cry, whatever that has happened between them, Dai is completely regretful about the decision he made.

“_I… I have to go back for the recording, I took a longer break, bye_.”

The younger man says, his voice has trembled through all the phrase, but Tsubasa cannot say anything else. The call has been disconnected and the blonde is staring at a dead point.

“Tsubasa?” Shiki questions him when he is more than sure that the conversation is over.

“They broke up… Dai broke up with Rikka.”

The leader stares at Tsubasa hoping that at any moment the younger man is going to tell him that he is joking. However, and by what he could hear from the conversation, Shiki knows that this is too real. Without further hesitation, Shiki dials Rikka’s phone number, hoping that the pink haired will reply to him.

“What else did Dai tell you?” the purple haired man demands for more information.

“Nothing, he didn’t want to tell me anything, I don’t know the reason, I don’t know why Dai made the decision,” Tsubasa expresses he is frantic, how are they going to help if they do not know anything?

The blonde idol sees as Shiki dials the number one more time, obviously Rikka didn’t pick up the phone.

“Damn!” the older man grunts, “Rikka, call me back as soon as you listen to this message, we need to know you are alright, please call me back!”

The man says and throws the phone on the couch, if he could go back on time, he will not accept Dai’s participation on this movie. Ever since this movie started their unit has seemed to become weaker and now with this, he is not sure about what is going to happen with SolidS. Nevertheless, if he has to be honest with himself, at this moment his main priority is actually Rikka and Dai’s wellbeing.

“I’ll go to Kyoto…” Tsubasa suddenly says, “I can talk with Dai, we can look for Rikka and…”

“No one is going anywhere, you are still in the middle of the semester,” Shiki interrupts the idea, “and I still need to work on the movie soundtrack… fuck… just what happened?”

Shiki says and runs his hands through his hair. If Rikka wouldn’t have gone missing, he wouldn’t be so worried. Nonetheless, not knowing anything about the whereabouts of the pink haired man is freaking him out, why did Rikka decide to isolate himself? What did he do to drive Dai to the point of breaking up? Trying to calm his mind, he believes that they also need to hide this from the president, at least until they can find Rikka. Taking his cellphone back, he calls Haiduki again.

“_Any news_?”

“No, I’m actually calling you to keep this as a secret until we can find him,” Shiki expresses as he sees Tsubasa’s shocked expression.

“_Shiki… I don’t know if…_”

“Please, until we can find him.”

“_I’ll try my best, but if we don’t know anything about Rikka by tomorrow, I’ll have to report the issue with the president_.”

Haiduki does not wait for Shiki’s reply, he hangs up the call this time and the purple haired man takes a deep breath. He needs to think and analyze the situation to try to find Rikka.

“I’m gonna call Dai-chan again, and I’ll try calling Rikka too,” Tsubasa says interrupting Shiki’s thoughts.

“You have classes today, and Dai is working on recording right now, there’s no point in calling him.”

The blonde man stares at Shiki, so the leader wants him to simply continue his life when his dear friends are going through hell. The younger sighs, and goes closer to Shiki, he cups the leader’s face on his hands and looks him right in the eyes.

“This is not only your fault, we all agreed on this,” Tsubasa tells him, “we don’t know what happened, but now we know what is going on, well sort of.”

The leader grunts, he knows they all agreed, they thought it was going to be a good idea. All of them were sure that Dai and Rikka just needed time together and that they were going to solve all the mess.

“I know I have classes, but this is more important, all of you are important for me, all of you are like family, so I’m gonna stay and help you all I can.”

“Tsubasa…” Shiki whispers and leans his head on the blonde man’s shoulder, “thank you.”

The younger man smiles, it is nice that Shiki has finally accepted his help and that at least they seem to be calmer by now. They hug for some seconds, both trying to find more serenity to figure out where Rikka can be and also to find the right words to talk to Dai and get him to explain more.

*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*

Rikka is not even sure of where the hotel is located, the only thing he remembers is leaving as fast as possible the other hotel and getting into a taxi. What did he say to the driver? How did he pay for the service? His mind is such a mess and all he can still remember with complete clarity is the moment in which Dai broke his heart.

He curls on his bed once again and feels as some tears keep going through his face.

If only he could have controlled himself… if only he could have had a better hold of the situation…

The man listens to his cellphone ringing again, throughout the morning he has been receiving calls, from Dai, Haiduki, and now even Shiki. Rikka is more than sure that he shouldn’t have left like that, that he should have at least gone to the morning recording as it was arranged. However, thinking about seeing Dai, thinking about facing him after what happened, he just didn’t have the strength for it.

Rikka takes a look at the caller ID, this time it’s Tsubasa, probably they already know that he and Dai have broken up… or better said that Dai broke up with him. The pink haired covers his mouth with one of his hands, he does not want anyone listening to his yells, listening to how broken he is.

“I shouldn’t… I shouldn’t fall so hard for him,” he mutters under his breath, if he could go back on time, if he could stop all of his relationship with Dai.

His cellphone starts ringing again, he is so sick and tired of the same buzzing over and over again that this time he answers without looking at the caller.

“What is it?” the pink haired asks without greeting nor trying to conceal his hoarse voice.

“_Rikka, where are you?_”

His heart stops a beat, Dai is the one calling.

“It’s none of your business,” he replies, his voice trembling.

“_Rikka…please, I’m sick worried about you, just as Haiduki, Shiki, and Tsubasa_,” Dai keeps talking, but there’s no word coming from Rikka, “_we… we are not together as a couple, but we are still members of the same unit._”

“I don’t wanna talk to you, Dai.”

The younger man is unable again to stop his frustration, he grunts and Rikka shivers when he notices Dai’s discomfort.

“_This has been the damn problem from the beginning, you don’t want to talk! That’s all you’ve been saying! Rikka if we tal…_”

Running away, one more time, from the problem Rikka disconnects the call and throws his cellphone away.

It’s not easy for him, it has never been easy for him to talk about his emotions. So far, he was just starting to open to Dai, to show all his real self to his ex-lover. But what was the point of that? At the end Dai has left him, at the end Dai has given up on their relationship. He chokes a cry and harshly he rubs his eyes with his hands, he prays that only for today he gets to look this miserable and that tomorrow everything will be different.

*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°°**°*°

Dai curses under his breath, he knows he has been an idiot from the moment he broke up with Rikka until now. The intensity of his headache increases, and he forces himself to calm down, to regulate his breathing and come back to his senses. Dai rubs his temples, it has been such long day, he did not sleep at all and he has not felt well at all.

The light blue haired man looks at his cellphone, his conversation with Rikka lasted less than five minutes. What is he supposed to do? He couldn’t get any information from the receptionist about where Rikka was going, he couldn’t get anything from the pink haired during the call. Just, what is he supposed to do? Dai feels as the knot on his throat grows bigger and the tears are threatening to come out.

“Dai-kun? Hiwatari-san asked me to come and see if were alright, are you ok?”

Hino, the person he does not want to see at all, asks him. The young man rubs his temples a couple of times before gathering enough energy to look at the girl.

“I’m alright,” he replies, but he can already perceive that Hino is not believing his reply.

“Is it for Sera-san that you feel like this?”

Immediately, Dai places his left hand over his eyes to proceed to rub them, he has to avoid crying, no one can know what happened between him and Rikka. The light blue haired man takes a breath and once he is sure he will not fall to pieces in front of Gou he speaks.

“Yes, it’s weird that he hasn’t told me that he was leaving, and I talked to Tsubasa and he told me that Rikka is not back… yet,” the man replies and stands up.

Hino stares at Dai for a while, she knows the man will not give more information, she knows that still she has not broken down all the walls. Nevertheless, she does not give up, she goes closer to the taller man and places her hand over Dai’s chest.

“Are you sure you are this upset only for that?”

The girl asks him and looks at him in the eyes. Dai feels uncomfortable, he does not want to be closed to Hino, not today. That is the reason why he has been unable to record any scene for the movie during the day. Slowly, the man moves backwards to separate himself from Hino.

“I am sure of that, I apologize that my current attitude is giving problems to the production, but once this issue is solved, I’m going to keep giving my best.”

Dai expresses, he just really needs to know that Rikka is safe since he is more than sure that the pink haired will not be talking to him for a while.

“If by verifying your bandmate’s condition we can get the best of you, you can take the rest of the day off,” Hiwatari who has listened to Dai’s words proposes.

The young man feels as a huge weight has been lifted from his shoulders. Today more than ever, he needs to be away from the movie production, from the reason that he made the worst decision. The sapphire eyes look full of gratefulness to Hiwatari and he bows to thank the woman for the permission.

“I appreciate it, I’ll be back to my work as soon as this situation is solved,” he says and leaves the place without hesitation.

Hino tries to go after him, but the movie producer stops her.

“I think you have had too many chances, so you will have to wait,” the older woman tells the model, “I gave my word this would be a fake relationship just for marketing purposes, so be ready to break up with him when the moment comes.”

Gou does not look at the producer, she does not want to give up.

“He will fall for me, I know.”

“Sometimes, it’s better to accept defeat before it’s too late,” Hiwatari replies, she appreciates Gou, but she is also the kind of person who will say the truth without hesitation, “also, I hope your stubbornness doesn’t bring problems to the movie production.”

The young actress does not reply, instead she starts her way back to the set. The fact that Dai is going to have the rest of the day off does not mean that she will be able to skip the afternoon recording.

*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*

Haiduki has actually gone to the dorms, if they are all together, they will know the precise moment in which Rikka gets to answer the phone to any of them. Tsubasa is about to call the pink haired again when his phone starts ringing. Even though it is not the person they are needed the most at the moment, the blonde man smiles when he sees that Dai is calling him.

“Dai-chan, are you alright?”

“_Not really… listen, Hiwatari-san allowed me to take the rest of the day off, do you know anything about Rikka?_”

Tsubasa hesitates on what to answer, he is sure that telling Dai that they haven’t been able to contact Rikka will frustrate him more.

“Put him on speaker,” Shiki says when he sees that the blonde man has gotten stuck.

“Ok, first you will be on speaker, ok? Shiki and Haiduki-san are here too,” Tsubasa specifies and hears as Dai sighs, probably his friend wanted a one on one conversation.

“Dai, I’ll be clear, we need to know what happened,” the leader of the unit expresses, “I know you two broke up, but what brought you to make that decision?”

Shiki adds when he does not listen to Dai saying anything not even sighing or grunting.

“_Don’t blame Rikka, don’t take any disciplinary measure against him, ok?_” the youngest man says, his voice carrying a lot of doubt on how to tell the truth.

The three men that are in the dorm look at each other; so far, they have not received any phone call from the movie production, nor from the magazine who took care of the interview and photos.

“Dai, please, go ahead and speak,” Shiki says one more time.

“_Promise me first that Rikka will not have to face any consequence… he… he has had enough_.”

Shiki seems to be getting more stressed, but if they are finally going to know the whole situation, he will have to accept the deal.

“As you wish,” the leader replies, Haiduki and Tsubasa nod letting him know that it would be the best.

The light blue haired man sighs, since he is in his room no one will listen to him, there will be no gossips about it, and the best, he has made sure that Shiki will not take any actions against Rikka.

“While Rikka and Hino-san were having their pictures, Hino-san said something to Rikka.”

Dai starts telling them, he knows the younger model said something that awoke this side of the pink haired man.

“_Just after the words were said, Rikka caused an accident to Hino-san, he made her trip and she fell… but no one noticed that Rikka did it and Hino-san is totally fine, her wrist was just swollen, and…_”

“Dai, what Rikka did it’s not…”

“_Shiki, you promised it, you won’t do anything against Rikka!!_” Dai quickly replies when he identifies the severe tone of voice coming from the leader.

Tsubasa looks at Shiki, demanding him to keep his word and the leader does not have any option. The blonde man grabs Shiki’s hand and quietly he kisses it as a way of thanking him.

“Dai-chan… was this the reason why you… you know… broke up with Rikka?”

The younger keeps silence, then all of them hears him release a sob full of sorrow and regret.

“_Yes…_”

That’s all he answers, just as Tsubasa has predicted, Dai would be capable of putting an end to the relationship if it could come to a dangerous point. The blonde man is the first one to understand that his dear friend was scared of what Rikka did and what the pink haired could get to do. Tsubasa also wishes he could be right next to Dai, it is obvious that he is having a hard time because once again he took the hard decision even if he didn’t want to.

“Dai-chan, listen… everything will be fine, ok? We are going to keep looking for Rikka you just try to rest, alright?”

Shiki looks at Tsubasa and gives him a smile, at least he knows how to keep going on the conversation.

“I think I found him,” Haizuki interrupts, “I couldn’t get to him before because he has not been using the company’s cards, he has been using his own cards.”

“_Where is he? I need… I need to talk to him,_” Dai rapidly expresses with the hope of being able to try and talk to Rikka one more time.

The three men look at each other. At this point, if Dai goes to look for Rikka it can only cause a bigger mess between them. Shiki sighs, he is the one who will have to deny Dai this opportunity.

“Dai, as Tsubasa said, stay in your room and rest, we will take care of Rikka,” the purple haired man specifies, “I won’t accept any negative response on this request, just do that, ok?”

“_I…_” Dai wants to find a good reason why he should go and talk to Rikka, but he does not have anything, the pink haired did not even want to talk to him over the phone so there will be no difference if he goes to look for him, “_I understand, but please, call me once you’ve found him._”

“We will.”

The phone call is disconnected by Tsubasa, he cannot keep listening to how broken his childhood friend is. Getting themselves to work on reaching out to Rikka; Haiduki provides the hotel’s phone number to Shiki and Tsubasa, and so he gets on his way to Kyoto. Shiki and Tsubasa will need to make sure that Rikka does not leave the hotel until Haiduki can reach the place. The two SolidS members stay in silence, this is not really how they thought things would go for their friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a pretty calmed chapter... or I think it is since well it's coming like a new phase in which Dai and Rikka have to learn to go through all of this and also I need to decide what is going to happen next....


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a long and exhausting day Rikka is finally back to the dorm and finally accepting what happened between him and Dai.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... I hope to get another chapter for next week... if I don't die... my shoulder decided to die on me with a new contracture, but I can feel a bit of Dai's pain like this XDD
> 
> Also... my coworker is listening to Big Girls don't cry as I post this and I think it' s a great song for this fic XDD

Chapter 8:

The annoying and constant sound on his door is only one more reason for his headache to become even stronger. He has not eaten, not taken a shower, not moved from bed; all he wants is just one day away from everything and everyone. Unfortunately, it seems that his wish will not come true.

Tired of listening to the insisting knocking on his door, Rikka stands up and goes to the door. He prays for this to be something good or he is sure that he will snap against any poor human that is on the other side of the door.

“What is it?” he rudely asks when opening the door without paying attention to the people in front of him.

“Thank you so very much for your assistance, I will take care of the situation by my own now,” Haidzuki thanks the woman from the staff who nods and leaves the two men alone.

Rikka does not dare to look at his manager, instead he moves inside the room again, letting the door opened since he knows that he will not be able to escape anymore. The pink haired man sits on his bed, internally he curses for the deplorable aspect that he has and that the room also has. Even more, suddenly he feels that the whole room looks and smells like a pigsty, why things just keep getting worst? He wonders feeling ashamed and knowing that there is no way he can justify his actions. Rikka simply waits for the manager to speak.

“Are you alright?”

The question and the kind tone of voice surprise him, he was more than ready to listen to a preach or to all the corrections measures that he would need to follow. Rikka stays in silence, he does not trust his voice, he does not trust himself and if he is going to be able to speak. The smaller man takes a breath, but instead of talking he nods and looks away, he knows his aspect says all the opposite of his words.

“There’s no need to try to put on a mask,” Haidzuki continues, he is still standing up and keeping his distance from the pink haired man, probably analyzing the whole situation and trying to find the best approach to help Rikka.

“I’m alright,” the pink haired quickly says.

Seeing that the model will not accept the situation that easily, Haidzuki decides to pressure a bit more.

“Dai already told us what happened during the photoshoot.”

The manager can easily see as Rikka tenses up and his eyes go wide opened. Unconsciously, the model starts biting his thumb finger nail and still does not dare to look at Haidzuki.

“Before Dai told us what happened, he made Shiki promise not to apply any disciplinary measure for your actions,” the bespectacled man speaks, “thus, I understand if you do not want to talk yet, but we need to go back to Tokyo, you still have an agenda to fulfill tomorrow and for the rest of the week.”

Rikka holds his breath, he does not want to go back, he does not want to face Shiki nor Tsubasa. Why is it not possible for him to isolate himself for one whole day?

“Rikka, please, we need to go,” the manager speaks one more time.

Reluctantly, the pink haired stands up and picks up his luggage, after all he didn’t even get to take any of his stuff out. When Haidzuki sees that there is no need to wait or to prepare any bag, he takes the carry-on and leads Rikka out of the room. Immediately, the pink haired untied his hair and let it around his face, the last thing he needs is more people looking at his pitiful state.

*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°**°*°*°

Shiki and Tsubasa have been all day in the living room, staring at their phones and ready for any kind of action that they would need to perform. The only moments in which they have walked around was to grab something to eat and occasionally to stretch themselves. Tsubasa looks at the clock, it’s almost 5:00pm and there has not been any news from Haidzuki.

“He took the train at 12:00pm, it would take him at least 3 hours to get to Kyoto,” Shiki expresses when he looks at the blonde.

“I know, but, one message would be nice, like ‘I’ve found the hotel’ or ‘he wasn’t here anymore’, something,” Tsubasa says and sighs.

“We called the hotel and verify every hour that Rikka hasn’t checked out, so he is still there,” he knows Tsubasa has all the right to be desperate, but still they need to keep positive.

It’s been a long day, and even if they have not gone out or perform any physical activity, they are exhausted. Shiki has been over his phone more than usual and in Tsubasa’s case it’s the first time that he has gotten so many messages from Dai; all of them asking the same, if they know something about Rikka. The leader is about to stand up and get some water when his phone starts buzzing. Without hesitation, Shiki takes the device and checks for the new message. Finally, Haidzuki is letting them know that he is with Rikka and already on their way to the train station.

“He is with Rikka, he says that Rikka is as good as he can be for what happened,” he says out loud so Tsubasa also gets to know about the good news.

“That’s good to hear!” the younger expresses with a happy smile on his face, “I’m… I’m gonna text Dai-chan.”

“Yes, go ahead.”

The leader replies while he takes a moment to answer Haidzuki’s text. It has not been that long when they hear as Tsubasa’s cellphone starts ringing showing an incoming call.

“Dai-chan?” the blonde man answers a bit surprised by the quick response from his friend.

“_How is he? Did Haidzuki-san mention anything_?”

Tsubasa takes a deep breath, he knows that what he is going to say to Dai may be rude but hearing Dai’s voice and paying attention to his friend’s actions, Tsubasa knows that this is necessary. Before speaking again, he closes his eyes trying to avoid any kind of eye contact with Shiki.

“He is alright,” the blonde idol states first, “but Dai-chan, listen, you are the one who ended the relationship to focus on your work, and that’s what you have to do now, you cannot keep wondering about Rikka and asking about him every single hour, you broke up with him.”

“_I didn’t…_”

“Don’t you dare to say you didn’t want to or that you didn’t know what you were doing, don’t give me a lame excuse,” Tsubasa interrupts Dai before he can get to say anything, “you did it, and now you have to move on and live with the consequences.”

Shiki stares in shock at Tsubasa, how come the blonde can be this cold with his friend? However, Tsubasa does not pay attention to Shiki’s reaction and waits for Dai’s replies.

“_Understand… just… let me know when they get to the dorms and I won’t ask anything else._”

“I will,” the blonde replies and hangs up the phone.

There is a moment of silence until the leader finally speaks.

“Was there a need to be so cold-hearted?”

“If I don’t do it, he will just go through a guilt trip path and won’t accomplish his work,” the younger replies, “if that happens, what would be the point of breaking up with Rikka?”

Shiki remains silence, Tsubasa has a point, but still he wishes there could be a different way to do it. After all, he is more than sure that Rikka and Dai are suffering just the same. Knowing that Rikka is already coming home, both feel a bit better; nevertheless, they know that there are still a lot of issues to work out.

*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°°*°*°*

The time in the train has been awfully long, he could not sleep, he could not cry, he could not scream, there was nothing he could do to release the unpleasant pressure of his heart. Rikka felt so limited and powerless. When they finally reach their destination, his first instinct is to leave as fast as possible, but Haidzuki grabs his wrist.

“I am sorry, Rikka,” the manager says, “I can’t let you go wherever you want, I must assure you are going to the dorm without any further delay.”

“Is this for real?” the pink haired asks indignant.

“It is, now please, let’s go,” the bespectacled man replies without losing his grip on Rikka’s wrist.

The model keeps the pace unwillingly, how come he has lost so much in less than 24 hours? How come his world has been turned upside down so easily? Rikka feels as the tears are threatening him again, he wishes this all could be a nightmare. However, feeling the terrible headache, the swollen eyes, and the emptiness in his stomach is more than enough to know how real the last 24 hours have been.

He follows Haidzuki, they are taking another train to get to Shibuya, luckily for him, at this time, there are not many people going around and the need to hide is not that extreme. Once they are on the train, Haidzuki releases his wrist and they take a seat, even though he knows that Rikka’s state is not the best the manager proceeds to give a brief explanation on how they need to act due to the pink haired man’s actions.

“As of right now, I sent an email apologizing for your absence to the movie staff, especially to Hiwatari-san,” the bespectacled man says, “it is the first time that I had to improvise a reason thus I just said that it was due to a family issue.”

“Are they going to believe that? My family is all in France, I don’t have anyone here,” Rikka expresses, his bitter tone irritates the manager a bit.

“It’s not within my scope to supervise if they believe it or not, but I do have to make sure that you also send them a formal apology.”

Rikka looks up, why? Why does he have to apologize to a production that has taken everything away from him? He feels as his heart speeds up, he wants to argue, he wants to complain, he wants to refuse. Nonetheless, he cannot.

“Basic protocol in this business, they opened a space for you, you missed it, so you own them an apology.”

The pink haired man takes a deep breath, it’s the first time he is hating every single word that comes from Haidzuki.

“Understand, I will do so,” the man expresses as the train reaches their destination, “and please, I can walk by my own, I won’t run away.”

“We will be taking a taxi which is actually waiting for us by the west exit, so please follow me.”

The manager dislikes having this cold attitude towards Rikka. Nevertheless, seeing that the man is not willing to cooperate or at least to express his real emotions, he has concluded that this is the only way to go. At the moment that they get on the taxi, the bespectacled man provides the dorms’ address to the driver and immediately texts Shiki that they are on their way.

*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*

When Shiki has told him that Rikka and Haidzuki would be getting there in ten minutes, more or less, Tsubasa has started to make some tea for Rikka. In all honesty, he cannot even imagine how Rikka is doing and if he would want to talk, but at least he needs to try and make his partner feel as best as he can.

“They are here,” Shiki says when he has received another message from Haidzuki.

“I hope he is alright,” Tsubasa expresses and right in that moment the door is opened.

Shiki and Tsubasa moves to the hallway to welcome them and as soon as they see the pink haired man, they totally verify that Rikka has had an awful day. The pink curls are a huge mess, the eyes are red and puffy, of course he has been crying; the clothes are all untidy; in summary, Rikka is a chaos. The model stays at the door, he is numb, he does not know what to say nor he wants to talk.

“Welcome, do you want some tea? Something to eat?” Tsubasa finally says when the uncomfortable silence has gone for too long.

“Thanks, but I pass the offer, I need to go to my room.”

Rikka replies taking his bags and moving without any further word to his room. The three other men stay there for a while, this is really going to be one of the hardest situations they have gone through.

“I have to go now to the office to justify my absence and the sudden expenses, I’ll be here at first time to take Rikka to his work tomorrow,” Haidzuki clarifies, “also, the apology I sent to the staff said that Rikka left without notice for a family issue.”

“Understand, thank you for everything Haidzuki,” Shiki replies.

“Please try to rest, and thank you again,” Tsubasa adds as the manager leaves the dorm, “I promised Dai that I will let him know when…”

“Send him the message and tell him about Haidzuki’s email.”

The blonde nods and starts texting his friend, he hopes that Dai is still awake and that he can at least go to bed knowing that this has already been solved. Thankfully, he does not wait long as he receives a simple ‘thank you’ as a reply; obviously, once that Dai promised something, he always accomplishes it, so there won’t be more questions coming from him about Rikka. As he and Shiki are moving to the living room to put some order to the mess they had left throughout the day, they see as Rikka is coming out of his room with a box full of stuff.

“Rikka, what are you doing?” Shiki asks him when he notices that the box has some gifts that Dai has given to the pink haired man and some photo albums, probably with pictures of him and Dai.

“Throwing away some garbage,” the smaller man replies as he holds his tears.

The purple haired man sighs and just as Tsubasa is about to talk to try to stop Rikka’s action, Shiki takes the box.

“I’ll keep it,” the leader says, “I don’t want you to regret this later.”

Rikka’s body tremble in frustration, why is Shiki doing this? Why is he not letting him do what he wants?

“Tsubasa, take this to my studio,” the purple haired man says and gives the box to the younger man, “Rikka, let’s go to talk to your room, and Tsubasa, please bring some tea for him.”

“Sure, I’ll take it in a moment.”

“I don’t wanna talk.” Rikka expresses, but still Shiki takes him to his room.

Once inside the room, the pink haired man takes a seat on his bed, it seems like lately all he can do is sitting down and fight to contain his feelings. On the other hand, Shiki takes a seat on the couch that is next to the bed, he sighs and thinks about how to start the conversation. Before anything can be said, Tsubasa knocks on the door and comes in with the cup of tea.

“Thank you, Tsubasa, would you mind leaving us alone?”

Shiki tells him, he is more than sure that Tsubasa also wants to help and talk. Nonetheless, just as the blonde idol has handle the situation with Dai, the leader knows that he is the one who knows Rikka a bit better and the one who should talk with the pink haired man.

“Yeah, sure,” Tsubasa replies after some seconds and leaves the room.

“You should drink the tea, it seems that it will make you some good,” the leader says to Rikka.

However, Rikka does not move, he simply stares at an empty space and keeps biting his finger nail.

“I feel responsible for all of this Rikka, I was not sure to let you go and still I did,” Shiki starts talking, “we have talked to Dai, he… he is not doing well either.”

“What do you know?” the pink haired suddenly snaps, “He made the decision, he ended the relationship, he… he… he left me, Shiki!”

There it is, the moment of accepting it, the moment of knowing the meaning of the last 24 hours. Rikka has always disliked showing his weak side to others, but right now, he cannot hold his tears, he cannot pretend that this is just a bad dream.

“He broke up with me, Shiki,” the man cries out loud, he covers his face with his hands, “he was so angry, he…”

Rikka cannot speak anymore, he remembers Dai’s face, he can listen to every word that Dai said to him the previous day. The smaller man feels as his body trembles and his heart aches with the memory; the pain grows bigger as he knows there is no turning back. Suddenly, Rikka feels as Shiki sits next to him and hugs him, rubbing his back and trying to comfort him as much as possible.

“I wish… I wish I would have never loved him,” the pink haired expresses between sobs, “I wish I could go back to the past and…”

“And what?” Shiki questions him, “Rikka, you were not happy in the past, you were always lonely, you were always avoiding love because you were afraid.”

The words hurt Rikka, he was so uncapable of loving, of showing his feelings in the past.

“It was better that way, no one could hurt me this bad,” the smaller man says as he clings strongly to Shiki.

“I’ve known you for a long time; and in all these years, the smile I’ve seen in your face when you are with Dai is your best and most beautiful smile.”

The leader mentions and feels as Rikka chokes a cry.

“You two… you two love each other just too much, and yes in this moment everything sucks,” Shiki keeps talking, “but… I think you two have the ability to solve this.”

“What if we don’t?”

Unfortunately, Shiki does not have an answer for it, he does not want to believe that there is no way for them to go back together.

“There will be a solution,” the leader prefers to reply as he wants to trust that things can be better.

That night Shiki stays as long as he can with Rikka, comforting him and trying as much as he can to make him feel better through words. Once that the leader has noticed that the smaller man has finally fallen slept, he carefully leaves the room.

When Shiki goes to the living room, he finds that Tsubasa is still awake and is looking one of the photo albums that Rikka was about to throw.

“Tsubasa?” Shiki calls him.

“I wish…I wish this movie will have never happened,” the blonde man says as he looks at different pictures in which Dai and Rikka are hugging.

“We can’t change the past, but we can try to help them.”

Shiki expresses as he sits and take a look at the pictures with Tsubasa.

“I know you said no one is going to Kyoto, but I do want to visit Dai-chan,” the younger expresses, “I was in fact too cold with him, which is unfair, he also needs to feel supported.”

“Let me see what we can do.”

The blonde nods as his look lingers on one picture in which Dai was holding Rikka’s hand. The smile on Rikka was so genuine, and even if Dai was shyly looking at the pink haired man, it's more than obvious that he was also happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Rikka, I feel bad for him, probably next chapter I feel bad for Dai XD


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Moving on or being stuck, those are the only options when breaking up, right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've lost such amount of time at work trying to finish this... now I gotta run with all the emails I have... thanks heaven there are only like 6.... =p .... hope you enjoy the chapter!

**Chapter 9**:

Dai has been in his room all afternoon, waiting for news and thinking about what happened between him and Rikka. His mind is chaos, thinking about what he could have said, thinking that he spoke way too fast. Wishing he could change his decisions, wishing he could have stopped himself. Nevertheless, there it was once again, that part of him that just goes for the so-called ‘best decision.’

He sighs and stands up his back is already aching since he has been lying down for a lot of time. The light blue haired man glances over his phone, no new messages yet. In all honesty, he wants to call Rikka again, he wants to try his luck and see if they can have a better conversation, if there can be a way to undo what happened yesterday. Just as he is reaching for his cellphone, there’s a knock on his door and consecutively he hears that female voice again, Hino Gou.

“Dai-kun, are you here?”

He does not want to answer, for one day Dai wants to ignore the girl and stay in his room.

“Dai-kun?”

“One moment,” once again he fails, why isn’t possible for him to be rude with this girl?

He opens the door and sees as the girl is already wearing clothes to go out. Internally, he starts cursing and hoping that he can really reject whatever proposal the actress has for today.

“Dai-kun, how are you feeling?” Gou asks him with a kind look.

“I’m ok,” he replies, but he knows it’s another lie.

“Listen, I feel we should go out so you can distract yourself a bit and…”

“No thanks,” even Dai is surprised by his reply, “I still want to wait until knowing that Rikka is back in the dorm, and I actually feel tired.”

The girl looks at Dai with shocked eyes, this is the very first time that the man has rejected her so straightforward.

“Just for one hour and…”

“Hino-san, please, respect my decision, I don’t want to go out, enjoy your outing,” he expresses and with a gesture he let her knows that that is the end of the discussion.

Dai feels slightly bad for the way he spoke with Hino. Nonetheless, he is completely aware that if he had been like this from the beginning things would be too different now. He has been so naïve all of this was his fault; and due to his inability to see Hino’s true intentions he has broken up with Rikka. 

He sighs once again, he feels empty, he feels incomplete, but how can he solve his situation with Rikka? Dai knows that he still needs to finish the movie, and he knows that it does not matter what he says to Rikka, the pink haired man will not trust him. The young man sits on his bed and finally hears that annoying buzzing again, he checks the new message; Tsubasa has finally informed him that Rikka is back in the dorms. The young man feels relieved and he feels the urge to ask more, to know more, but he remembers the promise he did to his friend. Feeling as his hands are shaking and that there is not a lot to say, he types a simple ‘thank you’ and places his phone away.

Now that he knows that Rikka is alright and back at home, he should really try and rest. Dai knows he has caused a delayed with at least five different scenes and it’s his responsibility to work them out as soon as possible. Nevertheless, sleep does not come that easily for him again he perceives as another night of insomnia is coming for him.

“Why am I such an idiot?” he whispers as he turns around.

He cannot stop thinking about Rikka, he cannot stop thinking about the so hurt expression that the pink haired man had when he said the words. Just why? He turns around once again, it has been so long since the last time he slept with Rikka by his side and now… it will not happen again.

Dai face-palms himself, he wishes he could scream out loud, he wants to go to Tokyo and stay there, stay right next to Rikka. Nevertheless, he has to complete this work, he has to do it for SolidS and even for the whole agency, it’s his duty.

“Two more weeks…” he whispers as he stares at the clock on the wall.

However, he knows deep down that it does not matter if he goes back, he does not have an idea on how to work things out with Rikka. Would the pink haired man ever want to talk to him again about their relationship? The knot on his throat becomes stronger and he feels like choking, Dai keeps turning around and thinking about all the different scenarios and how things could have gone better.

*°*°*°*°*°*°°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*

The following morning, Rikka wakes up by the sound of his alarm, he feels a bit disoriented, his head is still aching, and he feels as his eyes are too swollen. The slender man tries to remember what happened last night after coming back and the memory of his conversation with Shiki comes back. He sighs, he knows that he has already accepted in front of someone else that he and Dai are no longer together. Once again, he feels the tears about to flow, but he stops himself.

“Only yesterday Rikka, you are not allowed to keep suffering,” the model whispers to himself and takes a deep breath.

Even if this is the hardest thing he has ever done, he is willing to move on. If Dai wants to focus on the movie, if Dai believes that the best for them is to move in separate ways; Rikka will accept it. The pink haired man gets up from his bed and looks at himself in the mirror. Definitely, not his best look and so he starts taking out the stuff that he knows will help him to conceal that awful look.

When he is about to start, someone knocks on his door. The pink haired man immediately allows the other person to come in, being this Shiki.

“Hey, good morning,” Shiki stops there when he sees that Rikka seems to be getting ready without a problem, “so…you do remember your schedule for today?”

The leader asks and looks with curious eyes at Rikka

“Yes, I do, I had set up the alarms before so there was no problem.”

Shiki stares at the model who seems totally different from yesterday, at least in the way he acts.

“Are you… Rikka, are you alright?” the purple haired man dares to question.

“Just one day, that’s all the time I’m gonna spend feeling like crap for this, and that day was yesterday,” the smaller man replies as he starts cleaning his face and applying some other creams.

The older man knows that this might be just a façade, if he thinks about how bad Rikka was doing yesterday, then there is no way that he can really come and say that everything is now in the past. Nevertheless, Shiki will not pressure Rikka nor try to make him act more sincerely. Thus, the leader simply nods and agrees with the pink haired man.

“I see, I think that’s good, Haizuki will come for you in 25 minutes, is that enough time for you?”

“It is, thank you.”

Shiki leaves the room, slightly confused and mainly worried. Is it for real that Rikka is going to move on just like that? Also, if he would have known about this, he would not have woken up so early; he regrets not having trust more in Rikka, but apparently, he was not the only one. Tsubasa is coming out of his room, rubbing his eyes and yawning as he fights back the sleep.

“Morning,” Shiki tells him, “do you have classes or tutoring?”

“No, I just thought that Rikka might need some help, you know?”

The leader nods and hugs Tsubasa.

“We both thought the same, but he seems to be alright,” Shiki whispers in Tsubasa’s ears and walks towards the living room wrapping the blonde idol with his arm.

Tsubasa is still trying to understand Shiki’s words. Is Rikka really doing fine? How? Yesterday the pink haired man looks completely messed up, not like someone that would overcome a break up in just a matter of hours. The blonde man takes a seat on the couch, maybe he did not listen to Shiki properly, maybe he is still feeling too sleepy.

“Are you sure that…”

He has not finished his question when he sees Rikka coming to the same spot. The model is already looking impeccable, his hair is perfectly tied, his eyes are no longer red or swollen. Just what kind of magic has Rikka used?

“Good morning Tsubasa, any of you want me to prepare something for breakfast? I’m starving so it would feel better if someone else joins me.”

The pink haired expresses and starts taking out some ingredients for an omelet and his usual tea. The two guys stare in disbelief, just how is this possible? When Rikka notices that his friends are looking at him so surprised, he stops his actions.

“What is it? Do I look weird?” the smaller man asks them.

“No, no… you look great to be honest,” Tsubasa quickly replies, “but, is there something you want to talk about it?”

Shiki practically is sending daggers with his look at his lover, why is the blonde being so blunt in this issue? Isn’t he the one who usually tells him to be more sensitive? Nevertheless, the leader is even more surprised when he hears Rikka giggling.

“Are you that curious, Tsubasa?” Rikka questions him at the same time that he starts cooking, “we just broke up, that’s it.”

The blonde is speechless, he is confused and partly scared by the way in which Rikka has spoken. However, this has only confirmed to Shiki that the pink haired man is just acting.

“I believe that Haizuki already told you, but you need to work on an apology letter for the movie staff,” Shiki says, if Rikka wants to be tough, then he will allow him and make him act like a tough guy.

“I know, I will write it after work,” Rikka replies, but he can still sense Shiki and Tsubasa’s eyes over him, “listen, I don’t want to keep in a never-ending cycle of pain.”

The model expresses and sighs when he realizes that they will not accept just that as an explanation.

“If Dai believes that this is the best, I will accept it and move on, that’s it,” Rikka says, “I know I made a huge mistake, and I can’t go back in time, so I can only accept the consequences.”

Shiki and Tsubasa nod, they are still unsure on how well this will be for Rikka. Nevertheless, Tsubasa’s mind immediately changes to think about Dai, his friend is not someone who can deal with his actions and the consequences so easily.

“If this is what you want, we will respect it,” Shiki states, before he can add something else, he gets a phone call and excuses himself to answer it.

“Are you worried about Dai?” Rikka suddenly questions Tsubasa when he notices the younger man spacing out.

“Eh? Worried? Well, I’m always worried about him, mainly when he is alone,” the blonde man replies in all honesty, “but he will be back in two weeks, so it’s alright, I’ll talk to him then or if I get to go to Kyoto… I still don’t know if I Shiki will approve it.”

“You are going,” Shiki comes back and says, “Haizuki was the one calling, he is going to be here a bit later since he has to request Tsukino Productions’ doctor to send Dai’s medical records.”

“Something happened?” Tsubasa is the first to ask and being shocked about the news, and it is evident that Rikka also seems alarmed.

“Dai blacked out this morning while recording, he is stating that he is alright and does not want to go to the hospital,” Shiki replies, “so I hope you can convince him to go or at least check that he is alright.”

“So, do I leave now?” Tsubasa questions, it has been so unexpected that he is confused.

“Yes, Haizuki will take you to the train station, so you have less than ten minutes to get ready.”

Tsubasa wants to complain and argue, why does he have to prepare so fast? However, if he wastes any time on it, he won’t be able to pack anything. Quickly, the blonde moves to his room to prepare his bag as soon as possible.

“You’ll be there two days, so don’t overdo it!” Shiki tells him as the blonde walks away and then the leader sighs.

“Something else?” the pink haired man asks.

“This will extend our hiatus,” the leader expresses, “Haizuki told me that Hiwatari-san is willing to pause the movie until verifying that all the actors are in perfect conditions.”

“For how long?”

“One to two more weeks, they have moved pretty well so far, but since yesterday they have slowed down,” Shiki grunts, “the only good thing is that I will have more time to work on the soundtrack.”

Rikka nods as he starts serving the omelet and the tea, then he sits to start enjoying his breakfast. The pink haired man feels as he has the need to go to Kyoto again, to see Dai, to verify that the young man is fine, but he can’t. He has to keep his promise of moving on.

“Rikka, I said I respect your decision, but remember what I told you yesterday, you two can fix this, I’m sure of that,” the leader comments as he takes a seat on the couch, “if you two believe that it’s impossible, let us know so we can prepare for a possible separation of the unit.”

Rikka’s heart aches again, losing Dai and then losing SolidS, he wouldn’t be able to go through that. The pink haired man stays in silence for a while and then he dares to speak.

“I treasure SolidS, Shiki, I will do my best to keep working with the unit.”

“Thank you, I hope we can still work together,” the leader adds.

At that moment, they listen to the door being opened and Haizuki comes in. The manager greets the two idols, he seems to still be in a rushed for the unexpected issues that he had to handle during the morning.

“What exactly happened?” Shiki asks him, even if they talked over the phone, the bespectacled man was not very clear on what occurred.

“I was told that they were recording, Dai needed to stand up to go after Hino-san for a scene, but as soon as he moved, he fainted; no one was closed enough to him, so he fell and hit his head against the ground,” the manager quickly explains.

Shiki closes his eyes, now he understands the urge to try to take him to the hospital, on the other hand, Rikka has forgotten about his breakfast and once again he is biting his finger nail. The silence has gone for just too long, and none of them seems to be able to say something else in regards of the problem.

“I’m ready!” Tsubasa comes back to the living room, already with different clothes and his biggest suitcase.

“Good, I already made sure that the medical records have been sent, but hopefully Dai will listen to you,” Haizuki expresses and looks at Rikka to see if the man is ready.

“I’m ok to go too, I suddenly lost my appetite,” the slender man says and all of them look with worried eyes at Rikka.

The pink haired man decides to just ignore the looks and pick up his bag, today more than ever he wants to focus on work and nothing else. Before they leave the dorm, Shiki asks Tsubasa to call him as soon as he gets to Kyoto and to inform him about Dai’s condition as soon as he gets to be with the youngest member.

“Shiki, the president also wants to talk to you, probably he will open a space for you during the afternoon,” the manager informs before closing the dorm’s door.

“About?”

“I will let you know once I come to pick you up.”

“Understand.”

*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°°*°*°*

He is just tired, how many times does he need to repeat the same? There is no need for him to go to the hospital, there is no need to stop the recording. What he longs the most right now is to finish with all this production and be able to go back to Tokyo. That’s all.

Dai keeps looking at the people talking outside the room where he has already been for two hours. A doctor, Hiwatari-san, Suminomiya-san and Hino-san, all of them discussing about his well-being without taking him into account.

“Murase-san, we are going to keep you in the observation room,” Hiwatari comes in and states, “if you do not want to go to the hospital, we need to keep you monitored.”

“I have said I’m alright, I can keep working,” the man replies, he is getting tired of having to repeat himself, “I was just feeling tired, but I’m ok now.”

“Murase-san, the doctor sutured your forehead, you were unconscious for twenty minutes, and you want me to believe that you can keep working?”

“I can, I was…”

“If Takamura-san would be the one giving you the order, you will accept it, right?” the producer snaps back and Dai stays in silence, “I’ll take that as a yes, and you will do it because he is the leader and producer of the unit, over here you have to look at me as your leader and producer, so this is the final word.”

The light blue haired man does not say anything else, he simply lowers his head as a way of accepting the decision.

“I’m glad we have gotten into an agreement,” the woman says and sighs, “also, we have already talked with your manager, there is going to be an extension of our time here in Kyoto.”

Dai feels as the headache he thought it was gone is coming back. More time in Kyoto?

“How much time?” the young man asks, sadness more than evident in his voice.

“Probably two weeks, so all the contracts need to be rearranged,” Hiwatari informs him, “We are going to send all the documentation tomorrow to Haizuki-san as today we are going to be working on the new chronogram, so he will be giving you the details soon.”

When the woman sees that Dai has agreed she feels a bit more relief. Being honest, she has liked working with Dai as the young man has shown to be responsible and always giving his best. Thus, she knows that this sudden changed of attitude must have a good reason.

“For now, just try to rest, the doctor is going to be with you in case that you need anything, ok?”

“Yes,” Dai quietly replies.

“Also, Haizuki-san called me a few moments ago, your friend is coming to check on you,” the woman says when she is about to close the door.

“My friend?” Dai questions her and the lady nods.

“Yes, Takamura-san authorized Okui-san to come and visit you.

Dai would have never thought that he could feel so glad knowing that Tsubasa will come to be with him, but if he has to be sincere, he loves to be so happy right now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So now Rikka is the one being strong and being all like 'I don't care' and Dai is the one that is suffering for his decisions, but most importantly, what will happen to SolidS? =p ....


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Having a good old friend is good for Dai who feels a bit more motivated with Tsubasa.  
Rikka still believes that is better to keep moving forward and let go of his old relationship with Dai as soon as possible, while Shiki has an uncomfortable, but necessary talk with the president.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay, I was on a trip last week =p anyways, new chapter, again I feel this is a pretty calmed chapter, so I still hope you enjoy it!

Chapter 10:

Since the moment that they left the dorms, there has not been any kind of conversation, Haizuki tries to drive fast but safely to Tokyo Station. Nevertheless, the fact of noticing the manager in such hurry makes Tsubasa feel worried. Of course, he has not listening to what happened and so he is still taking it too easy.

“So, what train should I take?” Tsubasa asks when he notices that they are getting closer.

“I made a special request and the company helped with it, you are going in the one that leaves in 15 minutes,” Haizuki expresses.

“I know I was not in the living room, so I need to confirm, is it that bad?”

Haizuki sighs, he knows all the details, but didn’t want to reveal them all at the dorms, he didn’t want to worry Shiki more than necessary. However, being Tsubasa the one who is going and will see him face to face is better to tell the truth.

“He is conscious now, at least that’s what I know from the last message the staff sent me,” the bespectacled man states, “but according to the initial report they sent me, he was unconscious for 20 minutes.”

Tsubasa’s eyes go wide opened, 20 minutes? Isn’t that too dangerous?

“Why has the staff accepted not to take him to the hospital?” the pink haired man who was trying to ignore all the conversation suddenly speaks, his voice carrying an evident tone of anger.

“Good question,” Tsubasa adds and looks at Haizuki who shrugs, “ok, ok, I know Dai can be stubborn, I mean there’s a lot I can say about him being stubborn and not going to a hospital… but still…”

“I understand, that’s why you are the one going,” the brunette man mentions and parks the car, “Ok, we are here, Tsubasa make sure to take the train, and do what’s best for Dai no matter what.”

“You don’t have to say it twice! See you in two days!”

The blond says and waves good bye, seeing him leave with such a bright smile is something surprising to Rikka. He wouldn’t be able to keep such an optimistic face in this situation because it does not matter if they are not together as a couple, they are still coworkers.

“I already called the magazine staff and told them that we are running a bit late,” the manager indicates, and Rikka jumps out of surprise for the sudden talk.

“Haizuki-san…” the model calls him.

The manager looks through the rearview mirror with expectant eyes. For a moment, Rikka hesitates, he cannot believe that saying an apology to the manager could be this hard, but he knows how awful he was yesterday.

“I… I want to apologize about…”

“It’s ok, we were both in an uncomfortable situation, me as manager and you as a person who is going through a difficult moment.”

Rikka nods; however, he actually dislikes the fact that Haizuki still believes that he is having a hard time. Nonetheless, he will not make things more complicated and will take this as the end of that weird moment with the manager.

“If you want to know more about Dai’s condition, tell me, I’ll keep it as a secret.”

“I don’t think, that would be necessary.”

The pink haired man clarifies and the manager nods. The rest of their path goes in complete silence, but at least, Rikka’s heart feels calmer than the night before.

*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*

For someone who is not really patient, a trip that could take up to three hours it was just too much. Thus, as soon as he arrives at the station, he does not even think about it and takes a taxi to the where the movie is being recorded. According to Haizuki’s latest messages they have not moved from the location to give him enough time and to keep working on some other parts that did not require Dai’s presence.

Tsubasa is more than thankful to see that the driver seems to understand his main need, getting to the place fast, and so, in less than 15 minutes they have reached the destination. The blond idol does not even wait for his change and simply goes inside the building that he was told to reunite with his childhood friend. At the reception, he just goes straight and asks what he thinks it’s the most obvious thing.

“Hi, I’m looking for the movie staff for… damn… what was the name of that movie?” Tsubasa wonders out loud when he sees that he does not even remember the main part of the information.

“You may be looking for _‘Forbidden Desire_’ production, right?” a female voice suddenly says, and he nods.

“Yes, that one!” he turns around and sees the girl that has caused them so many problems, Hino Gou, “Ah… I know who you are, you are Dai-chan’s fake girlfriend, right? Hino Gou?”

“And you must be Dai-kun’s childhood friend, Okui Tsubasa, am I correct?”

“Yeah, the real childhood friend!”

It is evident that they have already crashed, and their personalities will not be getting along. The force smiles on both young adults is too evident, but still they tried to show kindness and respect during their greeting.

“I am surprised, Dai-kun must be really important for having sent half of the unit to visit him in less than a week,” the lady expresses.

“Well, this is an emergency, I’m surprised you haven’t tried harder to make him go to the hospital,” Tsubasa says without losing the smile on his face.

Contrary to Gou, whose expression immediately changes and stares with challenging eyes at Tsubasa.

“We all tried, but he is…”

“Stubborn? Yeah, I’ve been there, only if you know him quite well you can get the job done, anyways, where is he?”

Gou is trying her best to keep herself calmed, her first thought is that Tsubasa will be harder to handle than Rikka. Nevertheless, if she was able to break Rikka and Dai’s bond, she is more than sure that she will be capable of doing the same with Tsubasa, in case of necessary. Just as she is about to reply, a voice calls the blond idol.

“Okui-san, it is a pleasure to meet you and thank you for coming so fast.”

Tsubasa looks at the woman with curious eyes, trying to figure out who she is until he gets to recognize her. The producer and director, Hiwatari-san.

“Hiwatari-san! I’m sorry, I’m not good at recognizing people when worried.”

“Understandable, please come with me, and Hino-san, please go with the dressmakes, they need to make some adjustments,” the older woman expresses and leaves the actress and model behind.

Of course, this calls Tsubasa’s attention, could it be that Hiwatari-san has started to notice something? As the blond man wonders they keep walking and once that they are in a lonely hallway, the woman talks again.

“I feel I did wrong,” the woman says, “I thought that getting them into this relationship will give the movie the best outcome, but I was wrong.”

“May I ask, who got the idea of this relationship?”

Of course, now that Tsubasa has seen the chance to get more information, not only about Dai’s condition, but about the production in general, he will not waste it. The woman stops walking and takes a deep breath.

“I said it as a joke to Hino-san, but she got too excited with the idea, she ended up acting by her own, and well this is the result.”

The blond man nods, he will not blame or confront Hiwatari-san, as she said, she was joking. Then, the producer restarts their way and so they get to the last room, the place where the staff has built their tiny nursing and where Dai has been all the morning.

“He was unconscious for a long while, so we have kept him awake to monitor him, but…”

“I’ll take him to the hospital, don’t worry.”

Hiwatari smiles at the blond, honestly, she is glad that they have sent Dai’s closest friend to the production. Maybe having Tsubasa around will help Dai to get back his enthusiasm.

“If you truly get to do it, just let me know.”

“Sure!”

The woman knocks on the door and they are welcomed by the doctor who informs them that Dai is still awake and not showing any complication. The producer seems to be relieved and feel a bit more of peace in her heart. Nevertheless, she still looks at Tsubasa hoping that the blond can convince the younger man to go to a hospital. Once that the doctor has allowed the blond man to go in the room, Hiwatari excuses herself to go back to her work.

Without hesitation, Tsubasa goes and knocks the door, he listens to his friend allowing him to move forward and so he does.

“Ciao, Dai-chan!” the blond man happily greets him and moves towards the stretcher where Dai has been all morning.

“Tsubasa…” at the beginning Dai seems to be excited, but quickly all emotion was lost.

“So, what is it? Why do you want to punish yourself to a never-ending suffering day instead of going to the hospital?”

Dai sighs, this is the only bad thing of having Tsubasa here instead of Shiki or Haizuki-san, his friend knows him just too well. The younger man looks away, he knows that what he is going to ask is going to worry his friend, but he needs to clarify this first.

“Before replying that,” Dai states and the smaller man nods paying attention to whatever that the younger is going to say, “I… I broke up with Rikka, right? I have some sort of flashes, but… a part of me is not sure, I’ve been thinking about it all day, trying to conclude if it was real or not.”

Tsubasa forces himself to remain calmed, truly the injure that Dai has suffered is something that needs to be taken care of in a hospital and not just in a nursing. Moreover, the fact of seeing his dear friend’s confused expression breaks his heart and is going to get worse by confirming the statement.

“You did,” the smaller man replies as he sits down on the stretcher.

“Is he alright?”

The smaller idol sighs, he has heard that people might forget the way in which they injured their heads in this kind of situation, but apparently Dai has forgotten what has caused him more pain during the last days. The blond man looks up at his childhood friend, the young man is lowering his head, but Tsubasa is totally sure that Dai’s eyes have completely lost their spark by now.

“Let’s talk about this after going to the hospital,” the older says getting ready to take him.

“I don’t want…”

“I didn’t come here to take your silly excuses, nor seeing you going through the path of pain, I’m gonna talk to the doctor to tell him we are going and that’s it, got it?”

Dai has no time to reply, before he can even articulate a sound, Tsubasa has already gone and started speaking with the doctor. However, Dai is actually thankful that his friend has come to make him have a little bit more of sense and to clarify his current situation. Of course, now that he knows that the feeling of breaking up with Rikka was not just a bad dream he feels worse and he feels that his head is about to explode.

*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*

The photo session and interview have ended successfully; it was the first time in almost three weeks in which he didn’t have to answer anything related to Dai’s movie and he was more than thankful for it. After his works have been completed, Haizuki has instructed him to go with him so they could be back in the dorms as soon as possible.

“Something happened?” Rikka asks when they are back in the car.

“The president made a space for Shiki,” the manager states, “it’s the first time I see him getting a space available for any leader so fast.”

By that statement the bespectacled man expects that Rikka can understand how serious the issue is, and hopefully, understands that this might also be related to his previous behavior. The pink haired man nods, there is no need for him to keep asking, thus he simply stays in silence and prays that there is no disciplinary action waiting for SolidS.

The silence is getting to the uncomfortable point, Rikka feels as the amount of guiltiness increases, he should have followed the agenda, he should have placed personal feelings away from his professional development. He has always been able to do it, why couldn’t he do the same this time? He hates to think that Shiki might be in a bad situation due to his behavior. The pink haired man keeps going on and on about that kind of thoughts until the moment he listens to Haizuki calling Tsubasa’s name. Rikka looks up and realizes that his blond friend has called the manager.

“Thanks heaven, so you two are in the hospital now?” he hears as the bespectacled man says, “perfect, let me know what the doctor says after the tests are done, ok? Thank you, Tsubasa.”

Rikka sees as the manager presses a button meaning that he has disconnected from the call. In all honesty, he feels desperate to ask about Dai’s condition, but knowing the minimum amount of information it’s alright.

“Dai will have some tests to confirm that he is alright, Tsubasa has already called Shiki and informed him as well.”

“Ah, I see, that’s good to hear,” the model replies and feels as his heart beat calms even more.

Shortly after giving the news, Haizuki calls Shiki and asks him to get ready. The manager still does not specify to the unit’s leader the purpose of this sudden request from the president to meet. For now, Rikka can only pray that SolidS can keep together no matter what.

*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*

Truth to be told, he has never felt anxious about talking to Mikoto Tsukino, the man has been more of a friend than a boss to him. Nevertheless, being called out so suddenly, with no previous background, and knowing that at this moment the unit’s condition is not the best, Shiki does not feel that comfortable.

“So, the president wants to talk about SolidS, that’s what you know,” the leader inquiries as they get closer to the building.

“That was the only thing he said, but let’s be honest, the unit is in hiatus because of the movie, Rikka didn’t follow the agenda, and today Dai had an accident,” Haizuki expresses he cannot longer hide his worries, “he might want to check with you the real reasons for all of this.”

“What am I supposed to say if that’s the case?”

Shiki wonders out loud and then sighs, still there was no turn around in the issue, if the president wants to see him, he has to obey. Haizuki indicates to Shiki to go while he parks the car, since the president has requested to have a one on one meeting, then there is no need for Shiki to wait for the manager. SolidS leader starts his way, walking slower than usual and thinking a good way in which he can come up with a reasonable excuse for all the recent events.

Excuse that does not come to his mind on time, once he realizes it, he is already at the front desk and needing to announce himself with the receptionist. The man immediately recognizes him, no need to give name nor reason to be there, and so the receptionist asks him to just wait for a couple of seconds.

“You can come in, Tsukino-san is waiting for you,” the man enthusiastically says, and Shiki simply nods.

It has been a long time since he has come to Tsukino’s office to talk with the president. Last time that he was called out suddenly, and felt nervous, was when Tsukino-san proposed to him the idea of creating a new unit. How he wishes that this could end up being something positive like back then.

“Good morning, Tsukino-san,” Shiki greets him after closing the door.

“Shiki-kun! Nice to see you again, come in.”

The president indicates to him and immediately the old man leaves the paperwork he has been reviewing. Once that Shiki is closed enough, the president asks him to take a seat and if he wishes to get some coffee. Offer that Shiki does not reject at all.

“I see you are a bit tense, Shiki-kun, so I am going to be straight with you, how is SolidS going on?”

“Well… due to the hiatus we are a bit away, I’m still working on the soundtrack for the movie, but we cannot start recording it until Dai is back.”

Shiki quickly replies hoping that that information is enough for Mikoto, but it does not seem to be the case. The older man leans back on his chair and furrows his brow.

“SolidS has been an interesting unit, all of you coming from different backgrounds and delivering more than expected even from the very beginning.”

Tsukino states and now changes his position, leaning towards his desk and placing his head on his hands.

“Yes, but I believe that it has been the same way for many units here at Tsukino Talent Production, sir,” Shiki replies and drinks his coffee.

“True, true, but tell me Shiki-kun, with all honesty, are we getting closer to SolidS’ end?”

The purple haired man practically chokes on his coffee and coughs a bit. The end of SolidS? He knows he has the same feeling during that morning when he was talking with Rikka, but why is the president saying this?

“The end?”

Shiki asks trying to regain his composure and taking some napkins to clean the small mess he did.

“I am sorry for bringing this up like this, but in all the years that SolidS have been active, we have never had a situation like the one that happened with Rikka-kun and Dai-kun yesterday,” the president says, “and today’s Dai-kun’s accident.”

“That… according to what we know, Rikka had a family situation and he…” Shiki begins trying to make it look as there was a reason for said action while he thinks in something for Dai.

“Isn’t Rikka-kun’s family in France?”

The president asks and Shiki curses mentally how well informed the man is about every single detail about his idols’ lives.

“Shiki-kun, be honest with me, was there any problem between Rikka-kun and Dai-kun?”

The leader internally hesitates, should he reveal their relationship now that is over? Should he respect it in case they want to get back together? It is so hard to make decisions when these involve other people, Shiki thinks as he feels that he is taking too long to answer.

“They… Dai and Rikka had an argument,” Shiki starts and hopes his mind can work out the best possible reply, “they are too closed to each other and I think that affected them, Rikka didn’t want to be an obstacle for Dai, and Dai didn’t feel well to keep working.”

“That’s all you know?”

The president asks and Shiki nods, feeling as his heart is speeding faster than ever.

“You’ve never been good at lying, Shiki-kun,” the president expresses with a smile on his face, “but, for now I will stay with that explanation of yours.”

“Sir, I…”

“It’s ok; nevertheless, you are the leader thus if you ever notice that the unit cannot longer keep together, you have to make a decision,” Mikoto says with a firm voice, “I know you will be capable of making the right decision, you have always done what’s best.”

At that, Shiki feels conflicted, how is he supposed to know that? He was the first one to leave his old unit, he didn’t care about his old partners, he simply walked away. Moreover, he treasures SolidS so much that he will never be ready to identify that they might be reaching their real breaking point.

“Shiki-kun, I’m telling you all of this because if there are more things you cannot tell me yet, we are on time to fix them, alright?” The older man expresses as he sees the internal turmoil that is going on in Shiki’s mind.

“What if we cannot?”

“From all the idols I have worked, I know you are the most stubborn, and so you can get whatever you want,” the president says with a huge smile on his face, “but I also know how much help you need when it comes to emotions and dealing with feelings in general.”

Has he been talking with Tsubasa? Shiki wonders as Tsukino makes a pause on his words.

“That’s why I wanted to have this talk with you, because there is still time and if there is someone else you trust to work out whatever situation is going on in the unit that you can look for that person’s help.”

“Understand,” Shiki answers in automatic way.

“Shiki-kun, you’ve improved a lot, from the young man who left one of the most popular idol groups to the leader you are now,” the man keeps talking, “you have grown up and I am sure you will know how to lead your group to get it back on track.”

Shiki feels awestruck by the words, but in a way, he knows he was needing to listen to all of this.

“Thank you, sir, we as SolidS will keep doing and giving our very best,” the purple haired man replies.

“That’s what I want to hear, thank you for coming Shiki-kun, maybe next time we can have a more relaxing talk about coffee.”

“I hope so too.”

*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*

Rikka has been reading in the common room during all the afternoon. After he got home with Haizuki, he didn’t have any time to talk with Shiki as their manager took the leader for his meeting with the president. The pink haired man keeps wondering about what the president will need to talk with Shiki and if he could be responsible for the sudden meeting.

When he realizes that it’s the seventh time that he has been reading the same paragraph, he decides that is time to stop and try to look for something else to do. The model looks at his cellphone, what if he sends a message to Tsubasa? Just to check how he is doing and maybe the blond can tell him something about Dai.

“No, Rikka, you cannot do that,” the man tells himself, “you have to move on… but… he is my coworker…” the slender man sighs, just what should he do?

He stares for a bit longer at his cellphone, thus when he hears Shiki’s voice all of a sudden, he almost drops it. Rikka stands up and goes to the leader’s encounter.

“So, how was it?” the pink haired man asks, it was more than evident in his voice that he has been desperate to know.

“I’m gonna be fully honest with you,” Shiki states, “he is starting to think that SolidS’ end is closed due to the recent events, having a unit which level of commitment is perfect and then getting it to fail it’s something that will raise the flags for sure.”

Shiki expresses and sighs, even if the outcome was more positive than negative at the end, he still feels that this meeting was a nightmare. The leader keeps walking to the common room where he takes a seat, quickly Rikka serves him some coffee and takes it to the man.

“I’m sorry, I should have been more professional.”

“We are humans, not machines, Rikka, you needed a break,” the purple haired man tells him and drinks some coffee, “and as I told you, I know you can work it out.”

“I think… it’ll be best if we just keep as colleagues, I should have known better and…”

When Shiki is about to interrupt the pink haired man, he gets a call from Tsubasa, he wishes he could hang up on his lover, but if he has information about Dai, then he needs to know. The leader asks for a moment and Rikka nods.

“Tsubasa?”

“_Ciao Shiki, so I brought Dai-chan to the hospital, the doctor did all the tests to him, there is not a dangerous situation like a clot or something similar going on_,” when Tsubasa says this Shiki sighs in relief, “_but_…”

“But??!!” the leader demands him to keep going.

“_He is forgetting some stuff, the doctor said that’s normal, but he will need to have a break from the movie recording… at least 4 days_.”

Shiki runs his hand through his hair, 4 days is practically a week, which will make the delay and hiatus even longer.

“There’s nothing we can do… I guess…” the leader says exasperated and Rikka stands up feeling scared of what is going on.

“_Also… you know? I don’t really trust Hino, I think Rikka had a good reason to distrust her… and I know you said just 2 days, but…_”

“I’ll talk to Haizuki to rearrange your agenda,” Shiki replies immediately understanding Tsubasa’s plan, “but what about college?”

“_I’ll work something out, gotta go, Dai-chan is coming, call you later!_”

The leader hangs up the phone and throws himself back in the couch. Rikka keeps looking at him with alarmed eyes, just what is going on with Dai?

“A whole week of delay, there’s no serious danger, but Dai is forgetting some stuff.” Shiki says out loud once he notices that Rikka will not ask by himself.

“Forgetting?”

An awful feeling of emptiness surrounds Rikka, is Dai going to forget moments about their relationship? Is he going to forget what he used to mean in his life? The pink haired man stops himself, he cannot be going around like this.

“It’s a normal consequence, but he needs to take a break.”

“Understandable.”

“Rikka, are you alright?” Shiki asks him and the pink haired man nods.

“There’s no reason not to be alright.”

The leader sighs once again and understands that his only support in the middle of all of this situation is Tsubasa. Unfortunately, Tsubasa’s absence is going to be longer than expected and for now he will need to try to work for keeping his unit together alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tsubasa deserves an award, I really enjoyed writing the moment when he met Hino XD  
Probably is gonna take me two weeks to get the next chapter since I have to finish something else...


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emotions are hard, when you want to deny them, when you have to accept them. Being alone or having someone by your side, the hard part is to learn how to keep moving on after an important part of your life has changed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last update for this year.... and I just have verified that this is going to be longer than The Merman and the King.... there's still a lot to write about... if you already notice... I liked to link previous fics... so this is kind of linking all the DaiRikka fics... that's why this will begin immediately after Dai's bday fic from 2019 and it's supposed to end before Rikka's bday... in a perfect time line that is XD

**Chapter 11**:

After receiving some medication and all the doctor’s instructions, they are finally able to go back to the hotel. Tsubasa has been insisting on taking a taxi so they can get faster to the hotel, plus the fact that Dai needs to rest as much as possible. Therefore, after almost ten minutes of trying to convince Dai, the blond finally gets his childhood friend to agree and go back by taxi.

“I know you love to exercise, but seriously, you need to think about your condition,” Tsubasa comments when they are on their way.

“I just feel that I need to walk for a bit, to think about everything,” the younger replies, he still looks kind of disoriented and tired.

“For now, what you really need is to take a long rest,” the blond contradicts and take a look at his friend, carefully he lifts Dai’s hair to look at the injury, “you are lucky that it is not too big, and that your hair always gets in the way.”

“I guess,” it’s the simple reply he receives.

Tsubasa sighs, he is not really sure if Dai is just plenty sad, tired, or still feeling numb from the shots he got at the hospital. Being honest, he never thought he will see this side of Dai again and it’s been such a long time that he is unsure on how to talk with his friend. The smaller man takes a discreet look at Dai, his friend’s face is showing a gloomy expression; which only gets worst when Tsubasa finally notices the dark eye bags that are emphasizing that the last days have not been easy.

“I’m gonna see if we can share a room,” the blond suddenly says and slowly Dai looks at him, “you know, I think you need someone who can really supervise that you get to sleep.”

“It’s not necessary, plus I don’t think it can be possible.”

“You wanna bet? If I get it, there’s no chance for you to complain or say you won’t be staying with me, alright?”

Dai closes his eyes, it’s like Tsubasa’s voice is stronger than usual and thus causing him more annoyance than it normally does. Nevertheless, as long as he gets the blond to remain quiet for a longer time Dai nods in agreement and Tsubasa plays with his hair. However, the older immediately stops as he sees there is no stopping nor signs of feeling embarrassed from Dai. This is so out of their normal routine, the taller has never behaved like this, not even during his recovery for the shoulder injury.

Tsubasa tries not to panic that much, after all there have been so many events going on in Dai’s life recently that is obvious that he does not feel that much energy. When they reach the hotel, the blond is the one taking care of the payment and asks Dai to wait for him. The younger walks and stays waiting for Tsubasa at the hotel’s main entrance, place in which he is spotted by Hino who does not hesitate to go and see him.

“Dai-kun!!!! I’m so glad you are back!!!” the girl loudly says, and the young man closes his eyes, “are you doing better? what did the doctor say?”

“I…”

“The main instruction was to rest and be in environments that do not cause him stress,” Tsubasa quickly interferes and gets to be practically in the middle of them, “so, you may understand that for now, Dai-chan will stay with me.”

Hino’s icy eyes seem to shoot daggers at Tsubasa, she cannot longer take this awful treatment from the blond idol. What does he think he is? How can he not respect her? Just how? The young woman takes a deep breath and gently grabs Dai’s forearm to quickly move next to the man that she has claimed to be her boyfriend; they are out the hotel, out to the public eye. Tsubasa cannot dare to interfere with the lie they have been telling everyone and the lie she wants to become real.

“I know you are Dai-kun’s best friend but remember that in this moment I am his girlfriend,” Gou exclaims, with a smile that could be perceived as kind by many people, but not by Tsubasa.

“Well, I know that you are a **_fake_** girlfriend, and I’m a **_real_ **friend, so if you don’t mind, he has to rest,” the blond expresses and just as if he is dancing, he moves Dai away from Hino’s touch and into the hotel, “you better smile and say good bye in case any journalist is taking photographs right now.”

The woman cannot believe how insolent the blond is and the way he spoke those last words. Nevertheless, even if she wanted to scream her lungs out at him, she did as she was told. Hino Gou has understood that Okui Tsubasa has come to complicate her relationship with Dai, but she will not lose against his provocations.

“Thank you,” Dai whispers as they walk to the reception, “I… I can’t really contradict her because I don’t want to be rude and right now…”

“You can focus on getting better, I’ll help you while I’m here.”

Dai weakly smiles, being honest after all the examinations in the hospital he feels even more tired and the last thing he wants to do is to deal with Hino.

*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*

He has locked himself in his studio in the hope of being able to work on the soundtrack for the movie. However, he keeps remembering his conversation with the president, what if there is no way to work this out? What if he fails as a leader now?

He could see that Rikka was not truly convinced about the part of being just Dai’s coworker, and knowing Dai… well he will not be able to do it either. Shiki sighs, and looks at the empty screen, he is not going anywhere with this, at least not today.

The leader stands up and moves out of the studio, maybe if he take a small break his mind can get to clear up and the ideas will come. As he walks through the dorm, he can perceive how empty and tense feels the environment around. Nevertheless, his thoughts are interrupted by an unfamiliar sound coming from the common room.

“Rikka?” he calls out as soon as he catches a glimpse of the pink haired.

“Ah?! Shiki, I thought you were working on some music,” Rikka quickly replies and hides his face from the leader.

“Are you alright?” the leader asks him as he notices the teary eyes.

“Yes, I was just reading a book, that’s it.”

“On your cellphone? I thought you were more the kind of person who will buy a physical copy of the book.”

Shiki comments, he has seen through Rikka’s lie as he has glanced at the phone’ screen in which he has seen a photograph of the pink haired man and Dai. The smaller man blinks a couple of time, probably trying to vanish the tears that were attempting to flow from his eyes, and then he stretches himself.

“Sometimes I read them first on my phone and then I buy them,” Rikka replies as he blocks his cellphone.

“I see, you want some coffee? I came to prepare a bit so I can do some more for you too.”

The younger man hesitates on the offer, he does not really want to stay and have a conversation with Shiki; in all honesty Rikka has been trying to avoid the leader so he does not get himself in one emotional conversation. Nonetheless, at the end he accepts the offer and takes a seat at the table, while Shiki is preparing the beverage, his phone starts vibrating with incoming messages, without a doubt that must be Tsubasa. The blond man is the only one who gets to send more than five messages in a row.

“Would you mind reading the messages?” Shiki asks to Rikka as he looks for the cups.

“Are you sure?” the pink haired questions and as he sees the leader nodding he unlocks the cellphone, “they are from Tsubasa, it says: _we’re back at the hotel; sorry darling, I changed the reservation; gonna stay in the same room as Dai; don’t worry you’re the only one for me; by the way Hino is a bitch… sorry for language_.”

Rikka looks up at Shiki waiting for the leader’s reaction. The man is calmly serving the coffee, there is no sign of feeling distressed or angry for Tsubasa’s message.

“This idiot… he forgot to mention how Dai is doing now, I’ll text or call him later,” the purple haired man says more to himself than to start a conversation as he serves the two cups of coffee, “anyways, you have a free morning tomorrow, right?”

“Yes, need me to cover something?” Rikka eagerly asks, even if he has been busy during the morning, he needs more to fill the emptiness he feels and to distract himself.

“No, not really, I was asking out of curiosity,” Shiki replies and cannot avoid feeling bad for causing the dark expression of disappointment in Rikka’s face.

“Then, why don’t we go out? Like the old times, just me and you, it might be fun!”

The pink haired man proposes, he is desperately to do something to stop himself from looking at old pictures, to stop overthinking about Dai’s current situation. Anything will be good, he just needs to do something. Shiki takes a sip from his coffee, he would accept the idea, but having the soundtrack pending is a huge obstacle.

“I can’t today, I keep having problems with the songs for the movie,” Shiki finally accepts and lets out a long sigh.

“Eh? What kind of problems?” the pink haired man asks, even if he does not know much about song writing or composition, this kind of issue is better than his personal chaos.

“The truth is that for the songs we have to work as a unit I don’t know how to put our voices together this time,” the leader admits, he knows he has his personal preferences and this time those preferences might not work that good, “plus, whenever I start thinking about Hino-san and Dai’s duet, I draft the ideas as if I was working a duet for you and Dai.”

Rikka’s enthusiasm to listen to Shiki’s problems quickly vanishes and it is evident on his face.

“I’m sorry, might be due to the fact that she recorded ‘Adonis’ to provide a sample of her voice,” the leader adds and immediately bites his tongue, he was supposed to be the only one knowing that.

“‘Adonis’? that’s the song she decided to record,” Rikka comments as he forces himself to drink his coffee.

“It must have been so I could have an idea on how her voice will sound with Dai’s voice in a slow, romantic song” Shiki bites his tongue again, just why is he so blunt when talking, “anyways, your voice is way better… I… if you want, we can go out.”

Shiki says as a way to escape the uncomfortable moment, but this time Rikka is the one who rejects the offer.

“I believe it’s more important for you to focus on the work, especially with a singer who is not qualified to perform your music.”

There it is, that look on Rikka that shows how much anger he is holding, but that he will not let it out, Shiki thinks as he tries to manage something else to keep talking.

“Rikka…”

“Besides, you also need to call or text Tsubasa, right? You need to make sure that everyone in this unit is doing fine, not only me,” the pink haired man says as he stands up, “thank you for the coffee, I’m going to my room now, good night, Shiki.”

“Yeah… good night.”

The leader sighs with this small conversation he is more than sure that he needs Tsubasa to keep this unit together. The man runs his hands through his hair wishing to be able to find a solution as soon as possible. Nevertheless, he knows that for any kind of plan the four of them will need to be together and that is going to take longer than what he originally thought. Having the need of hearing to a reassuring voice he takes his cellphone and dials Tsubasa’s number.

“_Hello, darling_,” the quick response from the blond allows him to breath again and to recover his normal heart beat.

“Hi, how is everything going there?” Shiki asks, he needs to know that at least at some place things are going fine.

However, his hopes are gone when he listens to Tsubasa sighing and then he hears as a door gets closed.

“_Sorry, Dai-chan is finally sleeping and I needed to move somewhere I wouldn’t make that much noise_,” the blond says and then proceeds, “_I’m kind of confused, I don’t really know if Dai-chan looks like he has been hit by a truck because of the injure, or his break up, or because he is truly tired_.”

“That bad, huh?”

This is for sure not what Shiki was expecting to hear, he sighs again.

“_Darling, we can work this out, alright?_” Tsubasa expresses as he notices Shiki’s frustration, “_right now, everything is too recent for them, so they are trying to deal with their emotions, which I’m sure are way too strong for them to handle properly_.”

The older man nods and makes some sort of affirmative sound for Tsubasa so he knows that he is still listening. They stay for a while in silence, both know that the situation is more complicated than usual and at least being there for each other is enough.

“_I’m gonna stay until Saturday, hoping that Dai-chan can really take a slow day by himself on Sunday_,” the blond idol suddenly says.

“Are you sure?” Shiki asks, he knows that having Tsubasa there would be a great support for Dai.

“_Darling, I love Dai-chan as my dear and precious friend, but I cannot stay here until the movie is over_,” the younger expresses, “_plus, I can sense you need me there, right? How is Rikka doing?_”

Shiki takes a look at the hallway before replying to make sure that Rikka is not there or not coming out of his room.

“Same, he keeps on denying his feelings.”

Now, Tsubasa is the one who sighs, ever since he met Rikka he noticed that the pink haired is the kind of man to avoid everything related to his feelings; especially, when there’s the minimum danger of being exposed and being weak.

“I’ve been thinking about requesting to leave SolidS out of the movie production, but…”

“_The legal consequences?_”

“Yes, and that it will only turn to be more suspicious for the president,” Shiki adds, he knows that the president, Haizuki and even himself could work something out with Hiwatari’s company, but he cannot keep jeopardizing SolidS’ name.

“_At this point, it wouldn’t make any sense, all the work and sacrifices that Dai-chan would have done would…_”

“Tsubasa?” Shiki calls him out when the blond suddenly stops.

“_Gotta go, I think Dai-chan woke up or he fell from bed, don’t know…_”

“Go! Stop talking to me now!”

Shiki sighs as he hears the line getting disconnected, he can only pray and hope that there are no further emergencies. Knowing that he needs to try to work on the songs, he stands up and moves to his studio again. Unfortunately, he has to pass by Rikka’s room before reaching his place and so he hears it once again. Rikka tries to muffle his cry, but still Shiki is able to listen to the pink haired man. By now, Shiki knows that is a lost cause to try to make him talk and even if he feels as the worst friend and leader, he decides that for now, it’s better to leave Rikka alone.

*°*°*°*°°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*

“Dai-chan?”

Tsubasa calls out as he comes out of the bathroom where he has locked himself to talk to Shiki. The blond freaks out as he doesn’t see his friend lying on his bed the way he has left him.

“Don’t go, please, don’t go… I…”

He listens to Dai mumbling, but he cannot see him yet.

“Dai-chan?” he calls again and moves towards the beds.

The older man immediately jumps out of fear when he sees his friend lying on the floor. Did he really fall? Did he hit his head again?

“Dai-chan, wake up!”

Tsubasa repeats the instruction several times as he lightly shakes Dai to make him wake up.

“Don’t…” Dai says one more time before finally waking up, the distressful look on the light blue haired man’s face breaks Tsubasa’s heart.

The younger man seems to be out of himself, as if he could not distinguish reality from the dream he was having. Dai’s eyes travel around the room, fighting to identify anything familiar, anything that can give him some sort of peace at the moment.

“Dai-chan, calm down, ok? I’m here with you,” Tsubasa tells him as he helps him to stand up and sit on the bed.

“Rikka…” the younger murmurs and looks up at his childhood friend, “He… I…”

Dai stops for a moment, he remembers more clearly his dream, but he knows it was not a dream. It was the memory of the day in which he broke up with Rikka. The taller man takes a deep breath and hold his head with his hands, he wishes he could go back in time, but he cannot.

“Dai-chan, try to calm, ok?” Tsubasa repeats one more time, he is certainly fearing that Dai can go through a panic attack, “I’m gonna get you some water, alright?”

He specifies and waits until seeing that Dai has understood his instruction. Quickly, he goes to the mini fridge and takes one bottle of water out. Tsubasa sees as Dai keeps holding his head completely numb and he wonders if Dai is even breathing.

“Take it, come on, drink some water, you need to calm,” the older expresses hoping that Dai can follow with the few instructions.

The younger man takes the bottle, his hand trembles a bit, but he gets to drink some water.

“I was the one who made the decision… but I didn’t want it… Tsubasa, I didn’t want to break up with Rikka.”

Dai’s voice breaks up at the end of the phrase and the best Tsubasa can do is hug his friend and hold him tightly. The blond feels as a hypocrite for the words he is about to say and internally, he prays that Dai does not remember what he said to him the other day.

“You were under pressure, you… you didn’t think thoroughly about your words, it was a mistake, and we all make mistakes,” Tsubasa tells him as he keeps rubbing his hand gently though Dai’s back.

“He won’t forgive me,” Dai says, “not when I have to keep working on this… when I have to keep pretending to be Hino-san’s boyfriend.”

Tsubasa listens to his friend in complete silence, probably it’s not the best moment to tell him that Rikka is acting as if he wouldn’t be hurt for the recent event.

“Dai-chan… have you cried?” the older suddenly asks, “remember… back then, when you got your shoulder hurt, you felt a bit better after you cried, right?”

Dai looks hesitantly at his friend. It is true, in the past when he got injured and the doctor dictated that he could not keep his path as an athlete, he started to let go and feel better until the moment he cried. Slowly, he gives a negative answer to Tsubasa, he has not cried at all, there has been so much going on that he didn’t have time to allow himself to cry.

“You can cry now, it will be our secret, ok? And if your head hurts too much after that, you can take another pain killer, after all you don’t have to work tomorrow.”

Dai wryly laughs at the last statement and he covers his face with his hands. Gradually, Tsubasa can see as Dai’s shoulders start shaking, it has always been like this, a silent cry that will escalate little by little. Seeing Dai crying is one of the things that Tsubasa hates the most, but he is the only person that can get the younger man to be completely sincere with his own feelings. There are no more words said during that night, Tsubasa waits patiently until all the tears have come out, until the biggest part of Dai’s pain is out, and until the younger gets to fall sleep again.

*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*

The following day, Rikka has left the dorm earlier than ever, he has informed to Haizuki that he will be getting by his own to the photo-shooting place. The reason he has given it was simple, he wants to walk, the reality is that he needs to distract himself, take some fresh air and get his mind as clear as possible before he has to start working. 

The pink haired man has always been grateful about the fact of being an early bird, or at least being cautious to select the best schedules to move around. That way he rarely has to deal with crowded trains and today is not an exception. The train from Shibuya to Ueno is practically empty at this time and he can enjoy the peaceful environment. Once he reaches the Ueno station, he gets off and start looking for the address and then the best route to take on his cellphone. It shouldn’t be that hard, he has previously checked the location, so he has made sure that it is actually closed to the station.

When he has finally found the best way to get to the studio, he starts walking; today he is feeling better and he hopes this mood can be kept until the end of the day. It might be that the fact of getting closer to the summer season is helping him to feel better, maybe the beginning of a new season can bring something new to him.

“Ah, it’s here,” Rikka whispers as he checks the location on his phone and the building in front of him.

He waits for the traffic light to change and crosses the street. It’s way earlier for him to be there, but in that way, he can get ready with plenty of time. The pink haired gets into the building and announces himself to the receptionist who kindly asks him to wait while she requests the right person to come for him.

“So, it is actually you,” a voice suddenly says, Rikka lifts his face up in case that the person is talking to him, “Sera Rikka, it’s been so long.”

“Kinomiya… I mean Takato-kun?” the pink haired man mumbles showing a shocked face.

The green haired man comes closer and with no hesitation he hugs Rikka.

“It’s really you!” the man says with a huge smile on his face and his red eyes sparkling in joy, “I know there are not many people named Sera Rikka in the entertainment business, but I didn’t want to get my hopes up.”

Rikka keeps looking at the man with a mixture of happiness and shocked, just what is he doing here?

“Oh, yeah, models never know who the photographer is going to be right? Well, surprise! I’m gonna be your photographer for today!”

“Oh… oh my, that’s a huge surprise,” Rikka says and he knows he has shown how uncomfortable is going to be for him to work with the man.

Kinomiya gets a bit closer to him and surrounds the shorter man with one of his arms.

“Come on, it’s not that bad to work with an ex.”

Rikka looks alarmed begging that no one has heard that expression, and fortunately, there is only the two of them and the receptionist who is kind of far away from them. Just when he was begging for a new beginning, he is actually slapped with a memory from his past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... now this is kind of the second part of the story... an old ex for Rikka has come into the picture XD


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A friend will always find the best way to make you feel better and Dai knows that he can always count on Tsubasa for that.   
Meanwhile, Rikka has to go through a not so very nice phtoshoot while thinking if running into this person is something good or just a way in which the universe keeps torturing him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New chapter and a bit more of drama =p ...

**Chapter 12: **

The continuous throbbing feeling, and the awfully strong headache are the reasons why he finally decides to open his eyes. Dai looks around and for a moment he panics since he does not recognize the room, but then as he forces himself to remember the events from the last day; he recalls that Tsubasa has gotten to Kyoto and requested a room for them. The boy breathes in an out to calm himself and stop the increasing feeling of anxiety.

After a while, and perceiving how weak his body still feels, the young man decides to stay lying down for a bit; he rolls on his side to the opposite direction to avoid the sunlight that is getting through the window. When his mind gets to focused on the recent events, more specifically his break up with Rikka, he feels as the tears are threatening to come out again. Dai bites his lower lip, right now he does not want to cry, he does not want to make Tsubasa feel worried for him again. As he is fighting the need of letting his emotions out again, he hears as the doors is opened.

“Dai-chan?” the younger man listens to his childhood friend’s voice and tries not to move, “Dai-chan, you know you cannot deceive me, I know you are already awake.”

The taller man curses under his breath, sometimes he wishes Tsubasa didn’t know him this well. Finally, given up to the fact that he will not be able to pretend to be slept, he turns around and looks at the blond man.

“Good morning, Dai-chan, tho it’s already afternoon,” Tsubasa tells him with an enthusiastic voice and an empathetic smile on his face.

Smile that becomes gentler when he notices Dai’s red and swollen eyes, the blond recalls how hard Dai cried last night and feels as his own heart breaks a bit at the memory. Moreover, even thought Tsubasa can clearly see that the younger was about to cry again, he decides to ignore it. Acting in the most sensitive way towards Dai means that he cannot make any unnecessary comment, but at least Tsubasa can try and see if his friend wants to talk about it.

“How are you feeling today?”

The older man asks and Dai shrugs, he honestly is not sure on how to feel, the younger covers his face with his forearm. He has been so desperate about going back to Tokyo, he is desperate to try to speak again with Rikka, but he feels trapped in this place. What is he supposed to do? How is he supposed to keep going on? Dai feels as his bed suddenly has more weight on one side, Tsubasa has come and sit next to him. The blond man places his hand over Dai’s head and gently rubs it, he tries to quickly think about something that can help to cheer the younger up.

“Wanna go swimming, I heard the hotel has a big…”

“No, thanks,” Dai quickly replies and tries to hide even more with the blankets, if the doctor said he needs to rest he will just stay in bed all day, or until he can find a way to solve the mess he caused.

“It will be alright, you don’t need to torture yourself,” the smaller man says as if he could know what Dai is thinking.

“What do you know? I broke up with him, I yelled at him over the phone… I didn’t even follow him… I just let him go,” the younger man shouts with a frantic tone of voice, looking right at Tsubasa’s eyes and showing how broken he is once again.

Immediately, Dai knows he has behaved in the wrong way with his friend, yelling at a person who he cannot blame for his mistake. When he does not know what to say, and his headache has become worst, he quickly turns around; wanting to scream, wanting to be able to properly think for at least one time. Tsubasa sighs, at least there is something good at this moment; it seems that Dai is starting to have his memory clearer now, or so it looks like it. The blond pats his friend’s back.

“If there is someone, I know, who has always been able to stand up and keep going on no matter what, that’s you, Dai-chan,” he says and waits to see any reaction coming from the taller man.

However, the light blue haired man covers himself even more with the blanket, no sounds, no words are articulated. Tsubasa is about to stand up and leave him alone for a while, maybe this time Dai really needs to be alone.

“Thank you,” the younger practically murmurs and uncovers part of his face just letting his eyes been visible, “you… you’ve been with me through a lot…I … I do appreciate it.”

“You don’t need to thank me, and you should know I will always be here for you.”

Tsubasa says as he rubs Dai’s hair in a more playful way. Seeing that at least the younger man has already uncovered all of his face and that he has a tiny smile, the blond stands up and brings a bag full of food.

“So, it’s already noon, but I didn’t want to wake you up to eat nor for the medicines you need to take, which maybe that second one was wrong, but anyways, let’s eat!”

Dai sighs a bit frustrated, his friend will never change. However, he is honestly thankful of having Tsubasa next to him during this moment.

“I wonder what Shiki would say if he knows that you didn’t follow the doctor’s instructions,” Dai teasingly says with a small smirk on his face.

“Hey! There’s no reason why he needs to know, plus we can start the medication any time, ok? Now eat, you look like some sort of zombie right now.”

“Thanks for your kind words,” the younger says as he grabs one of the bentos Tsubasa brought.

Dai still feels an awful emptiness and he is more than sure that the mistake he made will not be easy to solve. Nonetheless, he is well aware that he and Rikka might need some time to be able to talk in better terms and so they can recover their relationship.

“Do you really believe that he can forgive me?” the younger asks after a while, his voice breaking down fearing for the answer that Tsubasa can give him.

“Dai-chan, I’m not Rikka, and I don’t want to give you any kind of wrong expectation… but, I do feel that this can have a better outcome, ok?” the blond replies.

“I just… I was scared of seeing becoming someone different… I was scared of not being able to love him anymore, but… it does not matter, he… I love Rikka no matter what.”

The older man sees as Dai’s expressions becomes gloomy, he cannot allow his friend to keep thinking about this or he will only get himself in a constant cycle of regret and guiltiness. Tsubasa takes a deep breath and proceeds to talk one more time.

“For now, I need you to forget about all the bad things, alright? Once we finish eating, we’re gonna have a day to relax and I won’t take any excuses, understood?”

Of course, Dai wishes to differ, to stay locked in this room all day, or maybe all the days he is supposed to take a break. Nevertheless, he has rarely been able to contradict Tsubasa, sighing he agrees, for today he will try to not think about the issue.

“Yes, yes… alright.”

“Also, let me check on the injure, well after eating, of course,” Tsubasa tells him and Dai rolls his eyes.

No matter what, Tsubasa is always there paying attention to everything and making sure he is doing alright. Dai smiles grateful of having his friend closed to him.

*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°°**°*°*°*

It has been a long time since he has felt so uncomfortable during a photoshoot, but how wouldn’t he feel this way? The person who is behind the camera is someone who knows him more than what he would like. He curses one more time, this was supposed to be a simple job, a summer campaign that was schedule last minute, and that he thought it was going to be easy.

“Hey Sera-san, why don’t we try some pics while you untie your hair?” Kinomiya tells him.

The request is simple, but Rikka feels as if there is a hidden intention, intention that makes him act awkwardly. Thus, the pink haired man ends up having more than one difficulty while trying to untie his hair.

“I’m sorry, I’m sure that was awful, let me try it again,” the man says as he starts to tie his hair alone.

“Sera-san, it’s ok if you go with the stylist to get your hair done.

The model kindly smiles and walks where the staff is already waiting for him. He looks at himself in the mirror, seriously, why can’t he keep focused? Why is life testing him so badly during the last week? Rikka gets so lost in his thoughts that he does not realize of the moment when the man has finished fixing his hair.

“Sera-san… you’re ready,” the man repeats when he sees that the model doesn’t move.

“Ah, thank you! I’m sorry I got distracted,” he says and quickly stands up to keep going with the photos.

‘It’s just another photo session, just think that this is a completely unknown photographer,’ the pink haired man tells himself as he holds his breath and forces himself to keep his mind focused.

“Perfect, let’s try to repeat the previous request, alright? Untie your hair as **_seductively_ **as you can!”

Rikka is about to have a mental break down, just what is Kinomiya thinking? Why is he saying that word in that way? Hurriedly, he shakes off the doubts and the hesitation from his mind to do his job. Smoothly, the pink haired looks straight at the camera and grins; he continues to slowly moves his hands towards his head, and delicately he unties his hair without losing the grin nor the mischievous and seductive aura. Rikka can perceive how Takato is also smirking and looking more than satisfied with what he did.

“Let’s try to continue with a more summer like vibe, unbutton your shirt, please,” the photographer says as he makes some adjustments to the camera.

The pink haired man is getting tired of this kind of game, first the hair, now the shirt… this is just how things between them used to happen. Nonetheless, the model tries to ignore it, Rikka tries to see this as just work and that of course, Kinomiya being the photographer and knowing what’s best for the magazine has to make these kinds of requests.

¨*¨*¨*¨*¨*¨

After some other shots, and some other requests that Rikka has considered as unnecessary, the photoshoot is over. The pink haired man is getting ready to leave the studio and go back to the dorms as soon as he can. Definitely, this was not the kind of day he needed to try to relax and forget about the awful week he has been having. The model sighs and feels as his back is completely tensed.

“What a day…” he whispers as he moves his shoulders to try to release some tension.

“Already tired?”

A familiar voice said, and he jumps out of surprise for the sudden intrusion.

“Sorry, I should knock the door,” Kinomiya says as he starts walking towards where the pink haired man is.

“Yes, you should, and I’m sorry, I’m already leaving,” Rikka states as he picks up his bag.

However, before he can step out of the dressing room, Takato takes his hand.

“Hey, it’s been a long time since we saw each other, don’t you wanna go and drink something?” the man offers him, “for the old times, and as an apology for today.”

“So, you know you were awful out there,” the model remarks as he firmly looks at the older man.

Takato sheepishly laughs, he should know Rikka better and realize that the man would notice what he was doing. Seeing that the pink haired man has stayed and not try to leave him yet, the photographer walks closer to him.

“I’ve missed you.”

“It’s been 8 years and you miss me now, that’s interesting.”

“Let’s remember, you were the one who ended up the relationship,” the photographer expresses and when he sees the angry look on the pink haired man, he quickly continues, “please… let’s go out and talk, like in the old times” the man insists.

Rikka takes a look at him and then at the clock on the wall. There’s nothing he can lose, right? He has already lost so much during this week that going out with an ex is not the end of the world.

“Just for a while, I don’t want Shiki to get worried for me,” he says, but he is mainly concerned that Shiki and Haizuki start thinking that he has gotten lost again.

The man nods and offers his hand to the model who kindly smile to reject the act.

“Don’t get so confident,” Rikka tells him as he walks out of the dressing room.

The pink haired man can hear as Takato giggles due to his reaction, a part of him is starting to doubt if this is the best option. Nevertheless, he deserves to do something out of the routine, he deserves to forget and have a bit of fun, if he can see this as having fun. When they are out of the building, Takato escorts him through the parking lot, once they reach the photographer’s car, the man opens the passenger door for Rikka. The pink haired man thanks the act but keeps a serious expression on his face.

“Any particular place you want to go?” Kinomiya asks him as he turns on the engine of the car.

“Anything is fine for me,” Rikka replies and checks his phone just to make sure that Shiki has not texted him yet.

“Then, let’s go to a place I went the other day,” the man keeps talking, “I really like it and for some reason it reminded me of you.”

The phrase is again said in a voice that confuses Rikka, just what are Kinomiya’s real intentions?

“We’re going out as colleagues, ok? Don’t get the wrong idea, now that I’m part of SolidS it’s not that easy for me to be in a relationship,” he immediately states, trying to put all the limits for this casual outing.

There is a moment of silence, Rikka feels as he has gone way beyond the limits, assuming stuff without being a hundred percent sure. Thus, while he is thinking in the most proper way to apologize, Takato speaks up.

“I thought the business, at least the idols business, has started to be more opened and permissive about it, you know since your partner is dating that model… Hino, right?”

The mention of the name makes the pink haired feel as the anger and all the negative feelings are coming back, the day has already been hard and long enough to listen to that name again.

“It’s a fake relationship,” he says without hesitation, but regretting his choice of words since this should not be said to any outsider, “I’m sorry, forget I said that, it’s all for… just, forget it.”

“It’s ok, I won’t say it to anyone… although, that explains why your partner looks so uncomfortable all the time, I thought he was being an asshole with the girl,” the man says and starts driving.

Rikka wants to defend Dai, but why would he? During the last couple of days, he has been thinking the same and if he keeps talking about this issue, he will only get himself in a worse situation. The pink haired remains silence and look through the window, probably his best option would have been to go to the dorms.

¨*¨*¨*¨*¨*¨

The place is in Asakusa, Rikka curses in his mind as he has gotten farther away from Shibuya. There is nothing he can do, no one has forced him to come and the best he can do is to text Shiki to let him know that he will be getting late to the dorms. Carefully following after Kinomiya, Rikka takes out his cellphone, another bad thing for the day, the damn device has run out of battery and he sighs in exasperation.

“What? Is the place so bad?” the taller man asks him.

“Eh? No, not at all… just, I can’t text Shiki to tell him I’ll be late, and I didn’t bring the charger,”

“Don’t worry, I’ll take you home, plus you said it, right? We can’t stay too long.”

Rikka awkwardly nods, should he lower his defenses with Kinomiya? It is true that he was a jerk through most of the photoshoot, but he does seem to behave different. If he remembers, the photographer always has had that teasing personality while doing his job. Maybe just for one night, besides this might be the only outing they would have. 

“So, what do you think about the place?” the green haired man asks him when they are finally in the place assigned to them.

Rikka who has been too busy in his own thoughts takes a quick, but careful look around. The place has a classy vibe that nicely mixes with a relaxed atmosphere given by the music and the decorations around. The pink haired man smiles, this an enjoyable place to visit with… he stops there, he cannot be thinking about Dai.

“It’s a pretty place,” the man finally speaks.

“Good to know, what do you want to order?”

“Bloody Mary,” the answer is given without hesitation and so Takato proceeds to order his beer and Rikka’s cocktail.

Time goes by and after Rikka has given up and left his defenses down, they enjoy a wholesome conversation about what they have been doing in those eight years. The photographer tells him about all the countries he has visited, from Asia to America, he has been practically everywhere thanks to his job. Then, feeling more confident about his companion, Rikka tells him about that time when he was thinking about leaving the entertainment industry and just go in a totally different way. Quickly, he remembers how everything happened and how SolidS was formed, he cannot hide the smile on his face by thinking about those days.

“So… you are with Takamura, right?”

“Yes, he formed the unit,” Rikka replies and drinks a bit more from his fourth cocktail.

“That’s not what I meant, I said it because of the ring you are wearing.”

The model curses, he is still having the habit of wearing the matching ring he bought for him and Dai. He tries to hide it, but it’s already late, so what would be the purpose of hiding it?

“No, this… Shiki is still a good friend, we tried it once, didn’t work for us, so we prefer to be friends, and that’s it.”

Rikka replies, stumbling with his own words and finding difficult to say every single thing since now his mind is thinking about the one who used to be his real couple, Dai.

“I’m sorry, I knew something was not good with you and I still pressure you to talk about a delicate topic,” the red eyed man says and looks at Rikka in a gentle way.

“Excuse me.”

“The cocktail… I met you one day you were drinking that,” the man says, but Rikka seems not to understand, “when we started talking, you told me that a ‘Bloody Mary’ was perfect for a broken heart.”

The pink haired man stares at the photographer, he forces his memory to recall that event and he covers his face with his hand. It is true, they met in bar. Rikka was still underage, but wearing the right make up allowed him to go to that kind of places and get what he wanted. He cannot believe that Kinomiya still remembers this.

“It’s not always for a break up, you know? it can be for a bad day…”

“In that case, let me apologize for giving you such a hard day,” the man says and starts leaning towards Rikka.

The smaller man immediately panics, this cannot happen, not yet. Avoiding a terrible outcome, Rikka takes the glass and takes a sip, keeping it as long as he needs to stop Takato from his action.

“I’m sorry… I should… I probably should take you to the dorms, right?”

“Please,” the pink haired replies without looking at the man.

*¨*¨*¨*¨*¨*¨*¨*¨*¨

The trip from Asakusa to Shibuya is awfully uncomfortable, there has been more than one time in which Rikka has wanted to ask the driver to stop so he can take the train. Nevertheless, for some reason, the pink haired has not said a word and has preferred to keep his look locked at the screen of his dead cellphone, just how many times could have Shiki called him? If the leader has called him at all since their conversation yesterday didn’t end up that well.

“You… you can leave me here, the access to the dorms is pretty restricted and I don’t want you to…”

“Rikka…” the man calls him out and the pink haired man gets startles, “listen… I’m gonna be honest with you, I wanna try things out with you again.”

“Takato-kun…”

“I know you broke up with me because I didn’t seem to have a future and I didn’t care back then, but… I’m different now,” the man says and stops the car, “I have to leave for two weeks, but when I come back to Japan, please go out with me.”

“I… I told you, it’s difficult now that I’m with SolidS, I can’t be in a relationship,” Rikka replies and looks away, in this moment he is too vulnerable, in this moment he cannot trust himself.

“Rikka,” Kinomiya calls him out one more time.

Instead of talking, Takato waits until Rikka turns around and cups the pink haired man’s face on his hands and kisses him. Rikka is too shocked, his eyes are wide open, but he does not pull away from the kiss, the familiar taste of Takato’s lips is making him lose notion of reality. Nevertheless, he has to stop when he gets a glimpse of what looks like a familiar silhouette getting closer.

“What are you doing?!” the pink haired man complains and tries to get off from the car.

“Please, one opportunity, call me in two weeks if you think we can have another chance,” the man says and gives his card to Rikka.

Hesitantly, Rikka takes it and leaves the car. His heart is beating too fast and he can only hope that this does not bring him any other problem. Something that not might happen as he hears a stern voice calling him out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... what do you think about Rikka's ex?? XDD I hope to have a new update for next week and then I'll disappear to work on stuff for Shiki's bday =p


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Their friendship has always been an easy one, no problems, no arguments, everything has been good so far, thus a confrontation between Shiki and Rikka feels too out of their normal routine; and in Dai and Tsubasa's case keeping secrets might not be the best way to go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New chapter... I should really start going more towards the resolution, but instead I'm causing more chaos XD

**Chapter 13:**

Tsubasa has gotten Dai to have a day without any worry and just full of relaxation. The blond has scheduled a massage, an aromatherapy session, and later on they have gone to the hotel’s onsen to complete the perfect day off. At least from Tsubasa’s point of view, but seeing at how Dai looks much better now, the older knows that his plan has been a success.

“Alright, time to take the meds and then you can sleep,” the blond expresses with a happy smile.

The younger simply nods, he has decided that it is fine if for just one day, or afternoon, he follows all of Tsubasa’s instructions. Dai takes the bottle of water and the pills that his friend gives him.

“Remember, you gotta take them for a week, and tomorrow we gotta go to the hospital again.”

“Yes, yes,” the light blue haired man replies and furrows his brow, the headache is coming back, and he feels as sleeping would be now impossible.

Dai grunts a bit, even now all his worries are coming back, the time he still needs to spend in Kyoto, the fact that he cannot speak yet to Rikka, and of course, he still has to pretend to be Hino’s boyfriend. Slowly, he feels as all the tension is back and the pressure in his chest increases.

“Dai-chan… what is it?” Tsubasa asks him when he pays attention to the face the younger is making.

“Nothing, I… I will just go for a walk…just for a while.”

“No, that’s not gonna happen, it’s 10pm, come on, lie down,” the blond tells him as he has already sat on the bed and is patting his lap.

“No way I’m sleeping on your lap,” the younger immediately complains.

“Come on, you’ve been such good boy today, this is your last order to follow, and you’ll see that tomorrow you’ll feel a lot better,” Tsubasa says with a huge smile on his face, this is something he has missed from their childhood days.

Dai sighs and rolls his eyes, what can be worst that not being able to sleep again? He thinks as he obediently crawls into the bed and lies his head on Tsubasa’s lap. The blond of course is happier than ever and gently he starts caressing Dai’s hair. For a while, Tsubasa sees as the younger has some troubles to fall sleep; Dai closes his eyes, but quickly he gets startled, his eyes reflected how troubled he still feels and how hard is for him to calm down to sleep.

“Just believe me, everything will be alright,” Tsubasa suddenly tells him.

Dai can barely look at Tsubasa in the eyes as he has already started to give in and drift into sleepiness. The blond sighs and looks at his friend with a content smile; even if Dai has already fallen sleep, he will stay there for a bit longer as he fears that the younger gets to wake up if he feels the tiniest change. Tsubasa lowly sighs, he knows that Dai has never been good with big changes and the last weeks have been full of challenges and of course changes for the younger. Definitely, Dai is giving his best for the unit, but once again he is not thinking about himself.

“I really wish Shiki and Fumi-chan would have been able to stop all this mess,” the blond whispers as he keeps caressing the younger hair, action that he stops when he feels his cellphone vibrating.

Quickly, he takes the device out of his pocket, the blond takes a look at the caller ID, Shiki. Knowing that his lover might want to know how things are going with them, Tsubasa decides to answer.

“Hi darling,” he says almost inaudible.

“_Are you busy?_” Shiki asks a bit surprised on Tsubasa’s way of speaking.

“Well… kind of, Dai is sleep on my lap, but I think I can talk if I do it like this.”

Shiki stays for a while in silence, the blond thinks that he is probably thinking about calling back later or he might have gotten distracted with his own work. The second option being immediately discarded when Tsubasa listens to some cars going around.

“Are you out of the dorms?!” he expresses with a hint of shock in his voice.

“_Yeah, I went to buy dinner, I tried calling Rikka to ask him if he wanted to go out,_” the man replies and then continues, “_you know, maybe if he gets a bit more relaxed, he can get to speak in a more sincere way_.”

“Who would say that you are finally learning how to deal with real people and not only with music?” Tsubasa jokes a bit louder, and when he is about to laugh, he stops, he notices that Dai is constricting his face, showing that the extra noise is bothering him.

“_Ha, ha, ha, so funny,_” Shiki sarcastically comments, “_anyways, how’s Dai?_”

“A bit better today, I feel we need to get them to talk,” the blond replies as he starts caressing Dai’s hair once again, “he really regrets his decision.”

“_I’ll try talking with Rikka and see if … Rikka??!!!_”

“What? What is going on? Shiki?”

The blond stays waiting for a reply, the seconds that go without an answer are starting to make him feel so impatient.

“Shiki?!” he calls out again a bit louder to remind the leader that he is still on the phone.

“_He is… Rikka is kissing someone,_” Shiki finally reveals.

“Rikka what?!” Tsubasa screams and moves, waking Dai up.

“_Call you later,_” the purple haired man says and hangs up the phone.

The blond stares at his phone and then he looks at Dai. The younger has a confused expression that gradually turns into fear.

“Something… did something happen to Rikka?”

Tsubasa keeps looking at Dai, what is he supposed to say? He does not have a lot of information, but should he lie to Dai?

“It’s nothing, nothing,” the older says, “they were making dinner at this time and Rikka cut his finger, that’s it.”

“You’re not good at lying… and you haven’t told me how Rikka is doing.”

“And you haven’t slept 8 hours, so if you sleep 8 hours first, then I’ll told you whatever you want to know, come on, get to sleep again.”

Dai stares at his friend for a while, but feeling as the fatigue wins over him, he follows the older man’s instruction. Internally, Tsubasa prays that Shiki can clarify this before tomorrow morning so that he does not have to lie to Dai.

*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*

As he listens to Tsubasa’s response, he knows that they really need to intervene. At least, knowing that Dai made the decision under a moment of pressure gives him a tiny hope they can help them to solve this mess.

“I’ll try talking with Rikka and see if… Rikka??!!!”

Shiki cannot believe what his eyes are seeing, the pink haired man is in a car with another guy, and he is kissing that guy. The purple haired man listens to Tsubasa demanding for an answer and without thinking to much he says the truth.

“He is… Rikka is kissing someone… call you later”

Shiki cannot stay on the phone, he has already seen that Rikka has noticed him and he has to confront him as soon as possible. The leader walks towards the car, as Rikka is getting off it and calls him out. He knows that his tone of voice is not gentle, nor it shows any kind of condescendence as the previous days.

“What were you doing? Who was that guy?”

“It’s better if we go inside…”

The pink haired man replies, he has lowered his head and at least that gives Shiki some sort of tranquility as it might mean that Rikka did not want to kiss that guy. They walk side by side towards the building, but the whole path until SolidS’ dorm is in complete silence. The smaller man opens the door for both of them, he wishes he could simply run into his room and avoid the uncomfortable conversation. Nevertheless, Shiki follows after him making impossible for him to run away, they reach the common room and the tension suddenly rises up.

“So, what exactly happened out there?” Shiki dares to question.

“Are you asking as the producer or as my friend?” Rikka follows and he has not looked at Shiki at all.

The leader sighs, this is not a situation he has imagined it could happen nor he has ever wanted this to happen.

“Both.”

The pink haired man sighs, if he is honest, he is not even sure on what happened there. Was he too weak? Didn’t he put enough limits? Or is he in a hurry to forget Dai? He feels as Shiki is intensively looking at him, waiting for an answer and hoping that answer can be good.

“It was Kinomiya, Takato.”

Rikka waits to see if Shiki remembers the name and after a while it seems that it has clicked on Shiki’s memory.

“That guy?! Rikka, come on, you must be kidding me!” the leader cannot avoid raising his voice, “how? Why were you with him? Didn’t he hurt you enough in the past?”

Rikka is about to break; yes, he knows this guy was never good for him, yes, he knows it was a mistake. The pink haired man holds his tears, what if he kissed someone else? It’s not like he is in a relationship.

“He was the photographer for today’s work,” the slender man speaks up again, “he asked me to go out for a drink, and then he offered to bring me home, that’s it.”

“Was the kiss part of the whole deal?”

The leader the question he did, and he also regrets his tone of voice, sarcastic, angry, treating Rikka as someone who will give himself to anyone.

“What if it was? As my friend you shouldn’t care, I don’t have a couple right now, remember?” Rikka replies back, letting his emotions take control of the situation, “as my producer I tell you: be fair, if of one us can be in a relationship, even if it is fake, it should be fair for any of us to have one too!”

The pink haired knows that his reasoning is stupid, that this is not what he really thinks, but why is he the one who has to be blamed? Why is he the one who has to assume all the consequences? He cannot be the only one who is wrong? Rikka looks at Shiki without loosing eye contact, fire in his eyes, fists are shaking, and he feels as his breathing becomes faster. Shiki sighs and closes his eyes, this is a new side of Rikka that he has never seen.

“As your friend, and as Dai’s friend, I’ll tell you that you are the one being stupid right now, you are not allowing yourself enough time to deal with this sudden break up,” he will not take Rikka’s tantrums anymore, Shiki thinks as he has said the words, “as your leader and producer, I remind you that Dai’s relationship is fake and now is part of his contract, what you just did out there can lead to a disciplinary action, which also reminds me that you have not handed in your apologies to the movie staff.”

The leader hates this, he hates being this cold with Rikka, the friend who has always supported him, the friend that has always been there for him since they were young. He can clearly see as Rikka’s anger increases, he wishes he could back down, but if he does, he will not be able to control this situation.

“Fine, I’ll get the apology ready for tomorrow morning and email it to Haizuki-san.”

Rikka’s voice breaks down through all the phrase, now he feels completely lonely in SolidS, he feels as he cannot trust anyone anymore. The pink haired man storms out of the common room and straight to his room. Shiki quickly follows after him, this was not the way he has imagined their conversation, this is not what he needed to happen.

“Rikka!” he calls out and grabs the man by the wrist and makes him turn around.

“What? What else do you need to tell me?” the tears are now falling down Rikka’s face.

Shiki has never been good at comforting people, and yes, he is tired of seeing how Rikka keeps evading his feelings. Nonetheless, not even him can be so cold-hearted with the pink haired man. Thus, he simply hugs Rikka.

“This is also as your friend,” he says, “you have to give some time to yourself to heal, please… don’t do something that you can regret because you are angry.”

Shiki can perceive as Rikka’s body starts shaking and suddenly he feels as the smaller man hugs him back. The purple haired man holds his friend tightly hoping that with this Rikka can really get to trust him, that Rikka can really be more sincere with his own emotions. The leader slowly starts to pat Rikka’s head, hoping that the cry can be over soon.

“I… I think, I just want to forget,” Rikka whispers, his eyes looking completely lost.

“I understand.”

“I didn’t want to kiss Kinomiya… but… I don’t want to be lonely again,” he says and hides his face against Shiki’s shoulder, crying softly, but taking out all those feelings of confusion and desolation he has.

“You are not alone, you said this unit was like your family and…”

“How is it going to be my family now? Dai…”

Rikka stops there, fear showing in his eyes, he is so afraid of Dai hating him, of Dai not wanting to see him ever again. Their last conversations were awful, and he knows he didn’t help to make them any better. Rikka cries desperate, he wants to forget Dai’s angry expression, he wants to forget Dai’s cold voice. The leader waits, he needs Rikka to express himself, to let go of everything he has been holding. Nevertheless, when he does not hear anything else, he thinks it’s a good moment to propose the so needed conversation for Rikka and Dai. However, Shiki stops when he suddenly feels more weight coming from the pink haired man, as he looks down, he realizes that Rikka has fallen asleep.

“Oh crap… thanks heaven you are not that heavy, and that we are closed to your room,” Shiki says as he tries his best to open the door and then carry Rikka.

Carefully, he lies the slender man on his bed, at that moment, Shiki realizes of how tired the pink haired man really looks. Without the make-up, the purple haired man can clearly see the dark eyebags under Rikka’s eyes and the huge contrast they have against the pale complexion. As the leader and producer, he must apply a disciplinary measure, but as Rikka’s friend he feels that being so broken is already enough as a general punishment. Shiki sighs, this is getting harder every time and he can only hope that this Kinomiya guy won’t be contacting Rikka anymore.

The purple haired man leaves Rikka’s room and goes to the common room, and when he is about to pick up the bag with his dinner, his cellphone starts ringing. Of course, Tsubasa would be calling him to get more information.

“Hello?”

“_Don’t simply say ‘hello’, what the fuck happened?_”

“Are you away from Dai?” Shiki asks, they need to work this in the most careful way possible.

“_It took me a lot to make sure he was completely sleep, I wouldn’t have called you if I wasn’t away from him._”

Shiki sighs and goes to the balcony to know that he will also have complete privacy.

“Rikka had a job today, the photographer who was in charge of the photoshoot is an ex-boyfriend,” the leader explains.

“Ok… I know I’m not being very patient, but why the hell was he kissing the guy?”

At that the older stays in silence for a while, all he got to know is that Rikka didn’t really want to do it and apparently the pink haired man couldn’t stop the action.

“_Shiki?_”

“We didn’t talk about the reason,” the man replies, “it was hard, he is still dealing with a lot and for a moment I thought that… well we almost got into a fight…”

Shiki stops there, is this what being a true leader is? If it is like this, then he doubts he has the real ability to overcome this problem and keeps his unit together.

“_Darling, you said a keyword there, ‘almost’, you did something to solve it before it was too late, right?_”

Once again, Tsubasa brings him back and makes him feel calm.

“Yeah, well… he fell sleep and we couldn’t keep talking, but… it might be better tomorrow.”

“_Yes, listen… I’ll be back soon, and I will help you with Rikka_,” the blond expresses, “_for now, Dai-chan seems to be doing a bit better, so I hope he can keep up the good mood until the end of the production._”

“Tsubasa… thank you,” Shiki suddenly says, he is truly thankful of all the help that his lover is giving him.

“_This is for all of us, this is for SolidS, of course I’m not gonna leave you alone, darling!_”

Shiki grins, it is true, this is for all of them, to keep what each one of them treasure the most. They stay in silence, a necessary moment for them to enjoy their company even if they are in totally different places; but the simple fact of knowing that they are there for each other is more than enough. Tsubasa suddenly sighs, he knows he has to finish the call even if he does not want to.

“_I have to go to the hospital with Dai-chan tomorrow,” he says knowing that with this Shiki will understand.”_

“It’s alright… just… don’t tell Dai what happened today, we don’t need to give him more troubles.”

“_I know, good night, darling._”

“Good night, honey.”

The line gets disconnected and Shiki stays alone looking at the city’s lights. If someone has told him in the past that Rikka and Dai’s relationship would be more fragile than his and Tsubasa’s relationship he would have laughed for sure. Being honest, he had always thought that the biggest risk for SolidS were him and Tsubasa.

“Stop the silly thoughts, Shiki,” he tells himself as he walks inside the dorm, “it sure feels empty.”

The idea of going back to the lonely days crosses his mind and he prays that it doesn’t end in that way.

*´*´*´*´*´*´*´*´*

Saturday morning, even though Tsubasa has decided that he will be going back today, he feels extremely insecure about leaving Dai alone. He was capable of avoiding Hino Gou for the last days and allowing his friend to have some peace without her.

“Ok, I’m almost ready, Dai-chan, are you angry?” the blond asks him as he has not heard a single word from the younger.

“Even though we have a deal, you didn’t accomplish it,” the younger man replies as he organizes his stuff.

“I told you what I know, Rikka is doing his best, and he does not want to talk, that’s all I can tell you.”

Tsubasa replies, he knows there’s a lot more, the way in which Rikka arrives at the dorm, the fact that the pink haired almost threw away all their memories together. Finally, but most shocking, the fact that Rikka kissed with someone else. 

“Well, I’m going back to my room, let me know when you are leaving,” Dai tells him as he has picked up his stuff.

“Sure, we can see at the lobby, alright?”

Dai nods and leaves the room. The blond feels awful for hiding stuff from his childhood friend, but really, there’s nothing good about telling the younger about Rikka’s kiss with that guy or that Rikka is having a bad time too. His work was to try to help Dai to feel better and keep him focused on the work so the younger man can go back sooner. His thoughts are interrupted by an incoming phone call.

“Hello darling,” he enthusiastically says.

“_Ready already?_”

“Yeah, going back on the 11am train, I’ll be getting to Tokyo around 2pm,” he replies as he closes his suitcase and is ready to leave the room.

“_How is Dai?_”

The leader asks, Tsubasa does not reply immediately as he is coming out of the room.

“Physically better, emotionally not so sure about it.”

The blond replies, and since he is busy carrying all his stuff, he does not notice the female that is now walking after him.

“_You didn’t tell him about…_”

“No, no, I mean he does not need to know that Rikka kissed someone else, but I feel bad for…” he stops as he turns around to get in the elevator and cannot hide his shocked expression.

He sees as Hino is maliciously smiling after having heard him saying such precious information to her.

“Fuck…”

“_Tsubasa?_”

“Fuck, fuck, I fucked up…” the blond says and slaps his forehead several times, “Hino heard me, Shiki, she knows…”

The following silence is more than enough for them to realize that this is the worst-case scenario they could have ever imagined.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah, it seems like everyone knows Rikka kissed someone else except for Dai XD   
Also, next week might not have an update as Shiki's bday is getting closer and gotta work something for him....


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nothing is normal for SolidS, a lot of things have changed and when they think they are getting closer to the moment in which they can find a solution another obstacle shows up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was going to wait until Moday to post this... but .... nah... I better post this now. It was kind of hard to get this done, but I finally have the chapter that has a bit of what is coming next.... who would say that talking with little sis would actually help XD

**Chapter 14:**

Tsubasa feels as his heart stops right in the moment when he sees Hino, and he is sure that he has gone pale when he sees the malicious smile on her face.

“Fuck, fuck, I fucked up…” the blond says and slaps his forehead several times when the elevator’s doors close, “Hino heard me, Shiki, she knows…”

There is a moment of silence, until Shiki suddenly snaps and says the first thing that comes to his mind and which he thinks is the best solution.

“Go and tell Dai the truth!”

“What??!!” Tsubasa screams, weren’t they supposed to hide that information for a bit longer?

“It’s better if he knows it from you than from Hino, go now.”

“Damn, this is not how I wanted to tell him goodbye, you know? Talk to you later,” Tsubasa says as soon as the elevator doors are opened.

He looks around for Dai in the lobby, hasn’t he come here yet? Quickly, Tsubasa calls his childhood friend, hoping that if Dai is not here, he will not be running into Hino either.

“Dai-chan! Where are you?” the blond immediately asks when he gets an answer.

“I’m going to the lobby right now, did something happen?

“We need to talk, come straight at me when you see me,” he says and hangs up the phone.

Tsubasa tries to calm, but it is not an easy task right now. Why was he so careless during the last moments here? Yes, he was talking with Shiki, but he should have taken better care of his surroundings. What is more important, how is he going to tell Dai this? He breathes in and out, there should be an easy way to say it, right?

As his mind is trying to think the right words, someone touches his shoulder and he jumps almost letting out a scream.

“Dai-chan!?”

“Don’t call me Dai-chan, are you really alright?”

The blond feels a piercing pain in his heart, Dai has finally come back to all his senses by rejecting the nickname he says that he dislikes so much; and now Tsubasa has to break him again. The blond man sighs and nods, knowing that he is lying, the older one asks Dai to go and take a seat to have a small conversation.

“Don’t you have to leave now? You will lose your train.”

“I need to tell you something first,” Tsubasa replies and Dai can already notice that this is something important, “you’ve been asking me about Rikka, and I believe the best is to be honest with you before I leave.”

Dai simply nods and looks at the blond right into the eyes.

“Being honest, when he got to the dorms it was like seeing a totally different person, I never thought I could see Rikka in that state, he was devastated.”

Tsubasa says and holds Dai’s hand as he sees the sorrowful look on Dai’s eyes.

“Dai-chan, take it easy,” he says to his dear friend and takes a deep breath, “Shiki has been the one who has talked more with him, I’ve been a bit away, giving him time and well then I had to come here.”

Once again, Dai nods understanding the situation, this is all that Tsubasa can tell him so far, and now he has understood why the blond did not want to talk. He feels awful just with this tiny part he has heard.

“Also…” the older says getting Dai’s attention back, “the other day… I was talking with Shiki; he was going back to the dorms and he saw a car parked closed to the dorms area.”

Dai furrows his brow and tilts his head, how is this related with Rikka? However, his fear increases when he sees Tsubasa’s expression, something bad is coming.

“Rikka was in that car… he was with an ex-boyfriend and…” the blond feels as the words are getting stuck in his throat, “according to Shiki… he was the one who talk with Rikka…”

“Tsubasa?!” Dai pressures him, he already has an idea of what the blond is trying to tell him.

“Rikka was kissing that guy, but Rikka didn’t want to and…”

“It’s ok…” the younger man quickly replies and stands up, “I think… well, this is all I need to know right now.”

“Dai-chan, Shiki said…”

The blond man tries to talk once again, but the taller man does not give him a chance. Dai asks Tsubasa to stop and turns around.

“I’ll go to rest, it’s my last day off, thank you for everything, Tsubasa.”

The younger man quickly expresses and turns around leaving his friend behind and taking the elevator as soon as one is available. For today, Dai will shut himself from the world as he feels and believes that Rikka has already forgotten about him. The light blue eyes strongly shut, he will not cry because he knows it is his fault and he cannot complain about Rikka moving on.

Tsubasa feels awful, this is not the way he wanted to say goodbye, he didn’t want to cause any kind of pain to Dai, but it would have been worst if Hino would have been the one telling him about this. The blond thinks as he quickly texts Dai, he really needs to let him know that Rikka didn’t want to kiss that other guy, that it was something he couldn’t control. As he has sent the message, he stands up, if he does not hurry, he will miss the train for sure. Nevertheless, as if the last moments of his visit were not bad enough, there is one more awful event to face, Tsubasa thinks as he sees that Hino is coming his way.

“So, what did you say to Dai-kun to make him so upset? Weren’t you supposed to help him to feel better?”

Tsubasa takes a deep breath, he hates being rude with a woman, but this girl does nothing to get a good treatment from him.

“I believe you already know,” the blond replies taking his luggage.

“About Sera-san kissing a mysterious man, still… why would he be so upset about it? I mean, they were not together, right?” the girl exclaims, “it would be too weird.”

The blond can feel the cynicism coming from this person.

“Hino-san with all your respect, I’m not your friend, you’re not Dai-chan’s real girlfriend, anything that has happened to Rikka is none of your business, so actually, I don’t see a reason why I should keep talking with you,” Tsubasa quickly speaks trying to control his anger, “thus, I will only say this once: don’t you dare to cause any more problems or suffering to Dai-chan or you will see my real bad side, good bye!”

Tsubasa does not stay to see the anger on Hino’s face. The blond is more than sure that if Shiki finds out the way he talked with the model, he will also have to go through a disciplinary action or at least writing an apology letter as Rikka did. Hopefully, the girl can keep her mouth shut and nothing will happen.

While he is on his way to the station, he received one last message from Dai, ‘_It’s fine, no one needs to justify Rikka, we’re no longer together, remember?_” Tsubasa knows how hard must have been for Dai to write the message; he wishes he could have stay at least one more day to help him understand, to at least talk a bit more.

If the trip from Tokyo to Kyoto was awfully long, he does not want to imagine how terrible this new trip would be.

*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*

A week has passed since he came back from Kyoto, he has tried to keep in touch with Dai as much as possible. Nevertheless, he knows his childhood friend is giving all the possible excuses, so he does not have to keep a conversation. Today is not an exception, Tsubasa grunts as he sees the new message, ‘_I have to go out with Hino-san today, sorry._”

“What is it?” Shiki asks him, Tsubasa has started the habit of locking himself with Shiki in the leader’s studio to avoid misunderstandings with Rikka.

“Again, he does not want to talk to me,” the younger replies and loudly sighs, “he is hurt, and he does not want me to verify it.”

“Maybe you should give him some time… Although, we have seen that giving time does not really work.”

The leader says as he remembers the one that they have right there with them, Rikka. The pink haired man has not wanted to speak at all about how he feels, or anything related to the recent events. All Rikka has done is focusing on work, on exercise, he keeps going more frequently to singing and dancing lessons to avoid staying in the dorm. Every time they are together, Rikka is quick to propose the conversation topics, to avoid anything that can lead to talk about the movie, the breakup, or his kiss with Kinomiya.

“What are we supposed to do?” Tsubasa whines, are they really going to keep going on like this?

“For now, we cannot do a lot, not while Dai is in Kyoto, we need to be all together and have an awfully and uncomfortable long conversation,” Shiki replies and puts on the headset.

Tsubasa knows that that is the sign for him to leave, he is allowed to stay in the studio as long as Shiki is not that busy with his work. Therefore, knowing that they have to present the whole soundtrack for the movie in a week, it is more than obvious that now Shiki needs more time alone.

“Come around in an hour, ok?”

“What for?” Tsubasa asks him before leaving.

“I’m more than sure that I’ll need a strong opinion on this,” the leader says and sighs.

The blond nods and he also understands that this might not be their best work. Not when there is a whole bunch of emotional events going around; and no one wants to be involved in this project.

It’s only 5:00pm but if Tsubasa could he would go to bed and sleep, thinking about solutions while also focusing on his daily tasks has turned to be exhausting. Nevertheless, he better finds something to do, even preparing a small snack for Shiki and for himself would be good. Having that in mind, the blond man starts walking towards the kitchen, and suddenly stops his steps when he hears the other member of their group giggling. Is Rikka really giggling?

Tsubasa tries to get closer to the kitchen and common room space without being noticed to see what is going on, the pink haired man is talking over the phone, but with who? It has been so long since he heard Rikka giggling, that he really needs to see it more closely. The blond man then moves as silently as he can and starts listening to the conversation.

“That was not my fault,” Rikka states and laughs a bit more, “anyway, why are you bringing this up? Weren’t we talking about a casual outing to give you a small welcome back party?”

Is it possible that Rikka is seeing someone already? Tsubasa feels his heart screeching, why is Rikka doing this? How is Dai going to take it?

“You’ll be back in a week, so I believe it would be a bit hard for me as the recordings for the soundtrack of that stupid movie will begin.”

The blonde man keeps listening to the conversation, but he knows that it will be better if he gets himself to do something so that Rikka does not believe he was there just to overhear his conversation. After some words from the other speaker, Rikka loudly sighs and lies on the couch.

“Takato-kun…I don’t want to tell you what happened, not yet.”

Tsubasa holds his breath and tries not to scream, Rikka is still talking with that man? The blond tries to focus back on the conversation that the pink haired man is having, maybe he can get a bit more of information.

“I haven’t been capable to completely accept what happened,” the model expresses and Tsubasa can notice when Rikka’s voice breaks a bit, “I have told you this… I will go out with you only as friends, I do not want to get in another relationship… not yet.”

The last statement gives some tranquility to the blond man, Rikka still carries some feelings for Dai if he does not want to date someone else.

“Anyways, it’s kind of late for you… no, I don’t have anything to do, but… thinking about that made me feel uneasy again, I don’t want that Shiki or Tsubasa gets to see me like this again.”

Tsubasa freaks out, is it good to stay there? should he quickly go back to the studio before Rikka sees him? No, he will not be able to walk fast and silently, what can he do? Immediately, he remembers he was carrying his earpods and so he puts them on. Tsubasa tries to keep a straight face and act natural as he pretends to look for ingredients for the snacks.

“I’ll call you tomorrow, yeah… good night for you, bye.”

The blond man knows that at any moment Rikka will look at him, so he tries to keep focus, opening the fridge and looking around for stuff to make some sandwiches.

“Tsubasa!” Rikka exclaims alarmed, “I didn’t see you, have you… Tsubasa?”

The blond heard his partner the first time, but he has to pretend that he was listening to the music. Therefore, when he gets to find the cheese, ham, and tomato, he takes them out of the fridge and faces Rikka.

“Ah? Rikka? Did you say something?” he asks and removes one of the earpods.

“Ah, don’t worry, I thought you heard me over the phone and…”

“Nah, I was listening to some music and thinking what to make for Shiki,” he feels terrible for lying to his friend, “Why so worried? Was it a serious conversation?”

The pink haired man focuses first on normalizing his heartbeat, he does not want any of them to know that he has been talking with Kinomiya. When Rikka feels that his voice will be normal and that he will be able to hold a conversation with Tsubasa he continues.

“No, nothing serious, just some silly stuff with an old friend,” the man replies and looks at what Tsubasa has on his hands, “feeling hungry? If you want, I can help you out.”

The blond man agrees since it seems like any misunderstanding has been avoided. Before starting to prepare the sandwiches, Tsubasa takes out his phone and mimics the action of stopping the music player, which ends up with him checking the latest notification. Tsubasa cannot avoid making a sound full of disgust and that makes Rikka curious.

“Ah, I regret having set up this notification alarm,” the blond expresses while he skims through the article, “this bloody witch, Dai-chan does not even look happy!!!”

Tsubasa has forgotten that Rikka is right in front of him and he wants to kick himself for talking out loud about the recent headline he has read, “Lovely Couple: Gou-chan making real his lover’s dream.”

“Hino? She is a witch, right?”

The pink haired man expresses, ever since Tsubasa came back he has heard the comments that the blond man has made about Hino and has wanted to join. Nevertheless, since he has been in a delicate situation due to that woman, he has been very careful on voicing his thoughts.

“Totally! I mean, how dare this witch to take Dai-chan to Kamo River as a date??!!” Tsubasa feels a bit of freedom and so he keeps going on, “we were supposed to go all together this summer, but because of that freaking movie we had to cancel.”

“She took him there?”

Rikka asks and sees as Tsubasa nods, the pink haired man hates feeling hurt, he hates that these raging emotions of hate against this woman cannot disappear so easily. Tsubasa nods but hesitates about handling his cellphone to the pink haired man, after all, this is the very first time that they are talking more naturally about this issue. However, after a while he hands him his cellphone to the pink haired man. Rikka looks through the pictures, not wanting to read all the nonsense that the journalists are willing to write. The pink haired man hates that he couldn’t be the one walking through that beautiful place with Dai, he hates that he couldn’t keep his relationship with Dai, he hates it and he cannot escape from that feeling.

“I’m sure she is doing this on purpose! I told her not to hurt Dai-chan, so of course she will try to show me how much better she can be… ahhhh, I hate her!”

Tsubasa exclaims recalling the moment in which he threatened the actress, as he gets his cellphone back and keeps going through the article and photos.

“Just one more week,” Tsubasa says, “one more week until Dai-chan comes back to the dorms and this witch cannot have all this freedom to take him away whenever she wants!”

“He is free to say that he does not want to go with her, you know that, right?”

Rikka states and the younger man knows that there is still a bit of pain in Rikka’s voice. Even Dai has told Tsubasa that he was responsible for all of this, for being uncapable of denying Hino’s requests. The blond simply looks at Rikka with hurt eyes, he also knows it, he is aware that Dai could have said no, but Dai is not that kind of person.

“I know… but… it’s Dai-chan,” Tsubasa replies and it hurts him to see that Rikka has not understood that, “anyways I try to call him later… if he wants to talk…”

The blond man says sounding frustrated by knowing that he is more likely to have a negative answer from his friend for a conversation.

“By the way, just one week? Wasn’t it supposed to be two more weeks?”

Rikka tries to ask as something casual, which in part it is real since he has avoided having any news about the movie or about his ex-boyfriend.

“Hiwatari-san was pressured by the company to finish the Kyoto recording faster, something about budget, last week they worked extra hours,” Tsubasa replies, “and so, they will have to come back to Tokyo and finish here.”

“I see,” Rikka says unable to hide how uncomfortable he feels by knowing that Dai will be back soon.

They have not shared a single word since the last conversation they had over the phone, not even a text message. Rikka never dared to text him to know about the accident that Dai had on the set, even if he had thought several times to do it as a coworker courtesy. It is not that easy; they cannot simply ignore what happened between them Rikka thinks as he suddenly hears Tsubasa calling him.

“Sorry, what were you saying?”

The blond man holds his breath, maybe it is not the best time to tell Rikka to call or message Dai, not now. Thus, Tsubasa simply shrugs it off and tells the pink haired man that they should start preparing the snacks. 

“So, I was going to take this to Shiki’s studio, but it would be better if we all eat together here, don’t you think?” Tsubasa expresses enthusiastically.

Even if he is not so willing to keep sharing time with all, Rikka nods, once that Dai comes back it would be too uncomfortable for all of them to be together, at least for a while. The pink haired man sees as Tsubasa goes to call Shiki and tell him about the small change of plans to eat all together.

Taking advantage of being alone, Rikka pulls out his cellphone and sends a message to Takato,

“_Any day will be alright; I need to be out of the dorms as much as possible_.”

The feeling of guiltiness goes through his body almost immediately, why is he making everything so complicated? Shiki and Tsubasa have agreed that they can solve this, Tsubasa has insisted a lot when he came back that Dai wants to talk to him, but still he regrets and avoids any opportunity.

The pink haired man sighs, and sees the message he has received;

“_Then we will have a lot of fun on that week._”

Rikka wishes he could smile, but he feels more guilty. Although, he was the one asking to go out, he takes his cellphone to clarify some restrictions, but that is until he hears Tsubasa screaming. Just what the hell happened now?

“Tell me it’s a lie,” Tsubasa grunts as he comes back to the common room with Shiki who is on the phone.

The purple haired man ignores the younger and turns on the TV. The show on the TV that Rikka feels he needs to avoid, an interview with Dai and Hino. However, his eyes immediately go to the text on the screen.

‘**_Next plan: Living together_**’

The font of the text is big enough that no one will be able to miss the latest update. Gou looks radiant, with such a bright and cheerful smile that anyone would consider her the luckiest woman in the world. Whereas Dai is looking shock, trying to get a hold of himself so he can keep going until the end of the interview. However, the words that they are saying does not matter to Rikka, all he can think about it is that Dai is going to be living with Gou.

“Are they…?” Rikka starts talking but quickly trails off.

“Fumi-chan called Shiki, this was something that Hino started by her own again, she is such a witch!!!” the blond screams furiously.

Rikka’s heart starts beating faster, he knows he was planning to be away from the dorms to not be closed to Dai, but this is not what he wanted. He actually wants Dai to be back.

“Why can this be over?” Rikka whispers, his voice trembling and his eyes getting teary.

Tsubasa is not sure if he should comfort Rikka or just let him be as it seems that the pink haired man has disconnected from everything around.

“Of course, I will go to the meeting, this is totally out of anything we have agreed!”

Suddenly, the blond man listens to Shiki, he knows the leader is trying to keep his composure as he is talking with Haizuki and the man is not at fault for the recent events. What kind of curse is this girl? Tsubasa wonders as he sees that once again that woman has come and devastated them all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... are Dai and Gou really going to be living together? .... Is Dai finally going to say no??? XDDD who knows XD  
Thank you so much for reading! I always try to update quickly this fic as I see many people come around to read the chapters so I don't want to be away on hiatus for long periods of time, again, thank you!


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hino Gou has not have enough, she does not care about breaking bonds nor destroying relationships as long as she can have what she wants, Dai Murase.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It took me a bit longer since I'm working on a drawing project for a friend, project I may leve after this cuz I can't really believe I'm good at drawing or well... don't feel comfortable with the idea of my drawings being on a book... anyways, new chapter, let's see what's gonna happen.

**Chapter 15:**

Shiki has hung up the phone, he keeps his look on the screen, how did this become such a big problem for SolidS? Even if their image has been one to cause controversy and caught their fan’s attention for their gravure work; it has never been on his plans that any of the members could be in the middle of such mess and gets everyone’s attention.

He feels sorry as he sees Dai stumbling on his words, as he sees the youngest member confused and desperate to finish the interview.

“Fuck…” the leader expresses as he feels more frustrated.

“This is not your fault, Shiki,” Tsubasa immediately says as he has perceived what is going on Shiki’s mind.

“Haizuki and I should have insisted more, we should have stopped this when we had the chance!”

“What chance? The president agreed as soon as this started, he just thought about giving Dai-chan more exposure, but he never thought about how far this could go!”

Shiki knows that the blond man is right, the president was sold to the idea as he has been feeling that Dai has been too plain for SolidS and needed to get more attention. The leader sighs and runs a hand through his hair, would the president change his mind now? There is no way that Tsukino Production can allow this to go so far away, the policy clearly states that the idols must live in the dorms.

“For now, there’s no point if you blame yourself and think that you should have fight harder in the past,” Tsubasa speaks once again grabbing Shiki by his shoulders so he can really bring the man back to reality, “Check the contracts and the agreements there should be something that you and Fumi-chan can use to help Dai-chan.”

Shiki nods, but at the same time he feels that if Hiwatari Association was the one that worked in all the paperwork, they will know how to use it in their favor. They look back at the TV, the interview has already finished, Rikka still seems to be disconnected from the reality, while Shiki and Tsubasa wonder if this would be a good moment to call Dai.

Nonetheless, before they could express the thought out loud, Shiki’s cellphone starts buzzing again and it shows that Dai is the one calling.

“Dai, how are you doing?” Shiki quickly asks, Tsubasa and Rikka look straight at Shiki as they hear him calling the youngest member.

“_I can’t… I can’t take this anymore Shiki…_”

Even though the phone was not on speaker mode, Dai has spoken loud enough to be heard by the other two men in the common room.

“Put him on speaker now!” Tsubasa demands as he needs to talk with his friend.

“Dai, I put you on speaker, we are all trying to think on how to solve this,” the leader expresses.

“Where are you right now?” Tsubasa asks first to see how much privacy they are going to have while talking.

“_In my room, as soon as I had the chance to leave the lobby I ran to my room_,” the light blue haired man answers, he didn’t even care about Hino calling him out and asking him to stay for some more pictures.

He grunts at the memory, why does this girl have to behave like this?

“Dai-chan, did you know what she was going to say in that interview?” Tsubasa questions him after a couple of seconds, he knows that his friend has been too naïve and it’s better to get all the information at once to know how they can change this.

“_I didn’t! I didn’t… I… before the interview she told me that it would be fun to give an unexpected announcement_,” the younger tells them and loudly sighs, “_but she never mentioned what she was thinking of… I thought she was going to say something about the movie not about us, I’m getting tired of this_.”

Rikka cannot keep listening to the conversation, he cannot take anymore how exhausted Dai sounds, even more when he can recognize how honest the younger man is with each one of his words. Quickly, he stands up and leaves the common room, he has had already enough of this. On the other hand, Shiki and Tsubasa look at each other, even if they know that they also need to talk with Rikka, right now Dai is the priority.

“Dai-chan, listen to me, the recording in Kyoto is almost over, you have come this far and it’s not the moment to quit,” Tsubasa tells him, “we’re gonna be working with Fumi-chan and will find a way to avoid this stupid idea.”

“_I… I don’t want to keep losing myself, I don’t want to keep losing what I care for the most, it’s already been enough…_” the younger says, there is no way he can keep hiding how awful this has been for him.

Shiki and Tsubasa look at each other, they know that Dai has had enough, but for now they can only ask him to keep going. The hard part is actually saying the words to the younger.

“We will have a meeting,” Shiki mentions after a while, “unfortunately, it will be until all the movie staff is back in Tokyo.”

“_Next week…_” Dai whispers, exasperated and feeling defeated.

“You will be back soon, Dai-chan, and we will take advantage of that time to seek for a solution.”

Dai knows they really mean it, but so far, he has not seen that anything can go the way he needs it while being part of this production. The younger grunts again, he hates that there are still so many stuffs in his agenda related to this movie.

“Dai, so far you’ve been doing great, and I do know how much you have sacrificed for this project, and for SolidS, I will try my best as the leader to help you, alright?”

Shiki’s words give him a bit of tranquility, but still, he cannot stop thinking about all the possible scenarios on this.

“_I’ll keep giving my best_,” the boy whispers after a while, he still feels an awful pain in his heart.

Dai has been working hard, and he has been trying to reduce every single news about Hino and him, trying to make Rikka realize how fake the relationship is. Trying through little actions to gain the pink haired man’s trust again, but at the end this happens. He knows that again he put his defenses down and Hino took the chance.

“I know you will, we know you will, after all you are part of SolidS,” Tsubasa enthusiastically says, he is the one who needs to try to keep the mood up.

“_Thank you, I have to go… we have another interview in thirty minutes,_” Dai says, his voice still shows how tensed he feels, but he tries to cover it up.

“Take it easy, alright? And try to shut her up every once in a while, I mean she is a…”

“Tsubasa!” Shiki stops the blond man, there’s no point in provoking small fights, it’s better to focus on real solutions, “as he said, take it easy, do your best, we will be working over here, ok?”

“_Yes, thank you_.”

The call is over, golden and violet eyes look at each other, they must find a solution since they cannot keep allowing Hino to break them even more.

“Fuck fake relationships between famous people,” Shiki says as he feels how his energy has been drained.

However, the phrase has given Tsubasa an idea.

“Fake! That’s it!”

Shiki raises an eyebrow, what does Tsubasa mean? He looks expectantly at the blond idol hoping that he can explain whatever that has come to his mind.

*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*

He has ended his conversation with Shiki and Tsubasa and even if he knows that he is already late, he does not want to go out of his room. Dai sits down on the bed and takes a deep breath, if he could have had a chance, he would have rejected the role. From the moment he read the script, he felt that this was not going to be easy. Reading the number of romantic scenes, the moments of sexual tension between the main characters, everything made him feel so uncomfortable, yet, he didn’t dare to express his real feelings.

Furthermore, of all the things he could think of, he never thought about breaking up with Rikka, about losing the only person he has ever loved. The young man takes out a picture that he keeps in his wallet in which he and Rikka are kissing. It was one of their first pictures as a couple, they even took it in a rush thinking that Shiki and Tsubasa could get to the dorm at any moment. Dai laughs by recalling the moment and feels the knot on his throat once again.

Nevertheless, before he could keep getting lost in the memories, someone knocks on his door, Suminomiya-san.

“Coming,” Dai says and places the picture back on its place.

“Murase-san, first of all, I truly apologize for Hino-san’s occurrence,” the manager says with a polite voice, “also, we need to get going.”

“Understand,” Dai mentions and checks that he has everything he needs before closing the door.

The walk back to the lobby is uncomfortable and in complete silence, Dai feels as the manager is just acting up the apology; they must already have a plan to make him follow Hino’s idea, it has been like that from the beginning. The young man sighs, just one more week he thinks as he sees that Hino is already waiting for them, the girl does not look worried nor regretful of what she has caused.

“Dai-kun, you must have had something important to do for having left like that,” the girl expresses as people of the staff in charge of the interview are still there.

“I did, I needed to talk to SolidS’ leader, and my unit in general, they also need to know what is going on,” the man expresses without hesitation.

“If they are good partners, they probably were watching the interview, so they had already found it out.”

The girl replies dismissing how serious the issue is for him and the unit. Cannot she understand that they are a group that needs to work together?

“Anyways, let’s go, we need to complete a busy schedule before starting the final recording week in Kyoto, thank you all for your time, it was a pleasure to work with you.”

“Thank you, both of you, it was a nice surprise to have such exclusive news about you two,” the interviewer expresses.

Hino enthusiastically waves while Dai simply nods, he does not feel in the mood of arguing, he does not feel in the mood of contradicting anyone around him. Right now, all what is going around the light blue haired man’s head are questions about Rikka’s reaction towards this news. When they are out of the hotel and in their way to get in the car, Hino gets closer to Dai.

“Hino-san… there’s no need to do this every single time, please I…”

Dai does not finish his words as Gou pulls him down and kisses him. The woman does not show any hesitation, she cups Dai’s face on her hands and then strongly hugs him and swiftly she places Dai’s arms around her. The taller man is totally confused, this is the first time that they have a kiss out of the movie’s set, the first time that he can perceive so many flashes that are pointing directly at them.

“Please, forgive me, but I do love you, and I’m tired to pretend that this is just a game,” the pink haired woman expresses, “please, forget about Sera-san, it’s time that you let go of him.”

She softly whispers into Dai’s ear; the man slowly moves and looks at her with shocked eyes. How is she daring to ask him to do that? Hasn’t she noticed how he feels without Rikka? Hasn’t she understood about all the damage she has done to him? All the damage she has done to Rikka? 

However, the thoughts go away as Dai remembers about the photographers catching the moment. He is screwed, he thinks as he will not have any way on how to explain and justify this to Rikka, Dai feels as all his hopes of being able to talk with Rikka again to recover their relationship quickly vanish.

“Hino-san, Murase-san, please hurry up.”

Dai is still speechless, looking at Hino with a hurt expression since she has caused more harm than what he could have ever imagined. The woman, on the other side, grabs Dai’s hand strongly and leads him towards the car. The girl is determined to win, to make Dai forget about Rikka until the man falls for her. 

*°*°*°*°*°*°°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*

Rikka has gone to his bedroom, his first impulse once that he is alone is calling Kinomiya, even if he was the one who stopped their pervious conversation.

“_Rikka? Did something happen?_” the man asks with worry.

The pink haired man cannot even talk, he just makes some noise stating that in fact something happened.

“_Is this about Murase?_”

Rikka breaks in tears once he hears the name.

“I’m sorry, I’m a mess and I still call you…”

Takato sighs, all he knows so far is that Rikka and Dai used to date until this movie started. The man scratches his head and sits on his bed, he was starting to fall sleep, but now he needs to be as awake as possible.

“_I still don’t know why you two ended your relationship, but Rikka… if you are this hurt, why don’t you try to talk to him?_”

Rikka cries, he cannot, not when he disappointed Dai so badly. Not when he did not show any support to Dai and all he did was behaving in such a childish way. Why couldn’t he see how strong their relationship used to be? Why was he so full of doubts?

“I just… I’m confused, why can’t he refuse all the stupid things this woman asks him to do?”

The pink haired man expresses feeling too exasperated, yes, he was jealous and childish, but Dai did not act in a proper way either. All the younger man has done is following the script and the roll he was given for both the movie and this fake relationship.

“_Remember when you were still an unexperienced model? When you couldn’t deny any kind of request?_” Kinomiya tells him, “_and believe me that right now I feel like an idiot because I wanna be with you, but at the same time I don’t want you to feel this miserable so if I have to help you to go back with this Murase guy, I will_.”

Rikka giggles a bit in the middle of his sobs, and then he tries to take a deep breath.

“I’m sorry for dragging you into this,” the pink haired says when he feels a bit more calmed, “I know there was a time I was like that, but… I feel that if he does not avoid it now, he will never be free of this kind of stuff…so what would be the point of getting back together?”

Rikka says, his voice breaking by thinking about future projects for Dai that can have the same kind of development. Once a celebrity is caught in the middle of this, it takes them a lot of time to break away from that image.

Kinomiya sighs, he understands what Rikka means, Dai is old enough right now to behave as a little boy who does not have free will to decide and put some limits to Hino. Confused on what could be the answer that Rikka is waiting, he stays in silence.

“I’m really sorry… when I heard him talking, I wanted to forget and the first time I really forgot about all of this… it was when we kissed.”

Rikka stays in silence after saying the words, he hates admitting this, he hates to know that he is trying to find a way to forget about Dai.

“It was for a short time, but I forgot this mess that day…” the model adds and sighs.

“_Pinky… you know… I love to know I helped you, but… I don’t wanna be some kind of replacement_,” Kinomiya states after a while.

Even if he wants to have a new beginning with the pink haired man, Takato does not want it to be in this way. The photographer wants to earn Rikka’s heart in the best way.

“You haven’t called me like that in a long time,” the slender man states with a sentimental smile on his face, “and… you’re right, this is not fair for you.”

Rikka quickly says, he is more than aware that what he is doing, the way he is using Kinomiya is not reasonable. The man sighs and lies on his bed, he wishes this could all be a nightmare, a bad joke that is being played to him. However, he has experienced in more than one way how real these moments are.

“_Listen, Pinky,_” Takato uses the nickname again, even with a small action like this one, he will try to get Rikka’s heart, “_I’ll be back soon, I’ll be by your side all the time you need me, and hopefully in that way you don’t see me just as a replacement_.”

Rikka’s heart stops for a moment, the honesty in Takato’s words taking his breath away.

“_As of right now, if you don’t want to follow the course of this fake relationship, don’t do it, you don’t need to hurt yourself even more_,” the man expresses, “_let Takamura-san and Okui-san to take care of this and you just try to focus on other stuff_, _I’m sure such a successful model like you has a lot to do._”

“Thank you, Takato-kun… I don’t know how to show you how much this means to me, thank you…”

“_No need to thank me, I want to know that you are doing fine, text me or call me if you need anything, alright?_” the man replies and feels more relief by hearing that Rikka’s voice is more calmed now.

“I will, and I’m sorry for waking you up, I hope you can rest enough,” the pink haired man expresses a bit embarrassed.

“_You know that I’m ok with just some few hours of sleep, anyways… talk to you later, alright?_”

“Yes, sweet dreams.”

Rikka hangs up the phone and stays on his bed, is he ready to forget? Ready to let go? No, he is not, that is why it hurts so much to think about Dai and Hino, that is why it hurts him so much when he heard Dai’s despair; he wanted to help him, he wanted to comfort him, but this stupid fortress he has built for his feelings is not helping at all. The pink haired man sighs and curls up, at least this has stopped their small snack time together and now he can have time to be alone.

*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°°**°*°*°*

Obviously, this second interview will have lots and lots of questions about them living together. Every single one of them making him want to scream out the truth and tell that everything is fake, that they are not together, that this is just for the movie. Nevertheless, he has read the contract, he knows all the consequences that he and his agency will suffer if he dares to speak the truth. Dai knows that his mind practically blacked out halfway throughout the interview, but what could he have said? Hino has talked and given all the details on how they decided on living together, such a great fictional story, Dai has thought as he has heard every single word. All he replies, in the middle of being confused, was that he needed to wait for Tsukino Talent to approve, if not, the plan would not become real.

However, Dai is more than sure that he enjoyed Hino’s expression at that moment, since the interviewer implied that there was nothing sure yet as Tsukino has not given the green light. It was his only tiny moment of victory, but it was more than enough.

When they are back in the hotel, Suminomiya leaves them in front of the main entrance so he can go and park the car. Dai is quick to begin his leave to go straight to his room, but Hino does not take long to match his pace and takes his hand.

“What I said it’s the truth, I love you,” the woman expresses once again, but his voice is weaker this time, “and… and I know you can love me if you give me a chance.”

“How? You took everything away from me.”

Dai is surprised by his own words, so far, he has not openly admitted to the girl that he and Rikka were together, but right now he knows it’s time to stop acting and say the truth.

“Dai-kun, please…”

“Loving someone is not just about hugging, kissing… it’s about understanding each other’s feeling, supporting each other, knowing your partner…”

His own words hurt; he knows that lately that was not the way in which he could describe his relationship with Rikka. Nevertheless, it was the most important part of their relationship from the very beginning.

“If I need to learn, I will show you I can do it, I can understand you, I can support you,” Gou exclaims as they reach the elevator.

Dai sighs and as gentle as he can, he frees himself from Hino’s hold.

“You may learn to do that, but… you will never make me love you.”

The elevator’s door open, Dai is the first one to leave and moves towards his room. Hino stays behind, she feels hurt, she feels rejected, so why if she feels like this she wants to insist more? Suddenly, she starts walking to the same direction than Dai, when the man opens the door’s room she goes in as well without any previous warning.

“What are you doing?” Dai questions her, he is getting too tired of this woman’s behavior.

“I know your dear childhood friend already told you this, but haven’t you thought why your dear Sera Rikka was kissing with someone else?”

Gou says without hesitation, looking at Dai straight into his eyes.

“Don’t say anything else.”

“He has forgotten you, Dai-kun, he has given up on you for his stupid jealousy,” Hino insists, “don’t you think that if your relationship has been strong enough you two would still be together? That I wouldn’t have been a problem? But here you are, alone, suffering while Sera is already enjoying his time with someone else.”

The woman insists without fear, her voice steady and her eyes not losing contact with Dai’s eyes. The man does not speak a word, he walks towards the door and opens it in complete silence.

“Leave,” he tells her.

“Just think about what I said.”

The girl even has the nerve to kiss Dai in the cheek and then she leaves the room. The young man then quickly closes the door and falls to his knees. He knows that Gou’s words are not true, Tsubasa told him a lot of times that Rikka did not want to kiss that man.

“He… Rikka has not forgotten me… right?” he whispers while he sits and hugs his knees against his chest.

All he wants is to go back to Tokyo, to see Rikka again, to talk to him again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As usual, thank you for reading, for the comments and for following up with this fic, I know at some point I will need to go over all the chapter to edit them, but not right now XD, thanks again!


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> SolidS is working on a plan to avoid that Dai has to go and live with Hino.  
Meanwhile, Gou tries hard to show to Dai that she wants to fix all the mess between them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A weird day and time to update, but I just finished this and I want to work on a fic that was supposed to be for Valentine's Day during the rest of the weekend XD.  
Anyways, let's see how things go for Dai and Rikka in this chapter..

**Chapter 16:**

The pain in his back is too intense, and it becomes worst when he tries to move, how long has he been sitting on the floor? Dai wonders but cannot find the answer and does not even have time to as he listens to the knocking on his door. The man looks at his cellphone and remembers his last action before falling sleep. He was going to message Rikka, he looks at the screen and sees as he didn’t get to write more than a simple ‘I am really sorry for…’

“Why am I such a coward?” he mutters as he stares at the screen.

“Dai-kun…” he listens to the female voice calling him.

He wishes he could ignore her all day long, but he knows that he still has work to do with the woman. Ignoring the body pain, he stands up and hears as his back cracks with the action, of all things he should have not fallen sleep in that place. Dai stretches a bit before opening the door.

“What is it?” he says as he faces the woman.

“I… I know it’s too late, but I wanted to come and apologize to you,” Gou expresses as she lowers her face, “I know… I know I talked more than what I should.”

“That’s enough, and please excuse me, I have to get ready.”

“Dai-kun… please, I was thinking all night,” the pink haired man woman says and grabs the taller man by the wrist, “I have made a lot of mistakes and I want to make it up to you.”

Dai does not say a word, he only thinks that the girl could only redeem all her errors if she suddenly accepts to end the fake relationship.

“I know what you are thinking, ‘end this and I’ll believe you,’ right?”

The man looks back at her, he does not show any surprise, there is nothing amazing about her guessing his real thoughts.

“And unfortunately, we both know that that is not possible until this movie is out,” Dai is the one who recognizes the truth as he stares at the girl.

“I want to be in the best possible terms with you as today we have to record some intimate scenes.”

The man grunts, those scenes were left for the last week at Kyoto to allow both artists in the main roles to get to know each other and avoid any uncomfortable feeling.

“Being honest, this is the first time I’m admitting I made a mistake,” Gou keeps talking after a while, “most of the times I ignore them, or I make it up by working harder, but this time… I know it cannot be as easy as to forget or just keep working.”

The woman expresses and hopes to have a positive reply from Dai.

“I’ll see you in the set,” the man replies as he frees himself from Hino’s hold and closes the door.

Dai has always believed that no matter what, people deserve a second chance to prove they can be better. Nevertheless, this time his heart screams not to do it, not to fall in Hino’s tricks, he looks at his cellphone one more time. The message is still there, waiting to be completed and sent.

“Would you reply to me, Rikka?”

The man whispers, it has been such long time since their last conversation, is it appropriate to just send him a text, or should he call him? Dai looks at the clock, he does not have time to go around this, feeling his heart heavy, he puts his cellphone aside and starts getting ready for his day.

*°*°*°*°°**°*°*°*°*°*°°**°*°*

Haizuki has gotten earlier than ever to SolidS dorm. The recent statement given by Hino has made them work harder than any other day. Their priority right now, check all the interview paying attention to every single word that the model had said, plus reviewing all the contract that Hiwatari Association recently provided for Dai.

In the common room, three men have been reading and talking about the situation. While Tsubasa’s idea is good enough, they need to make sure that it will work and that the other company will not be able to dismiss their proposal.

“So far, the contract does state that they have to act as a couple for public appearances,” Haizuki mentions after he has carefully gone through the first two parts of the contract.

“That’s good, the president has also given us the green light to handle this the way we decide to go,” Shiki adds as he checks his last emails.

“Why am I the one who has to watch the interview? I cannot stand this woman,” Tsubasa complains as he pauses the video for a moment.

“Because I don’t think you want to deal with the president nor contracts, or do you?” Shiki asks the blond man as he starts his own revision of Dai’s contract.

“At this point, I will do anything to help Dai-chan,” the younger man adds.

“Then, anything also includes watching the interviews and listening to that woman,” the bespectacled man is the one who speaks this time, “did she mention the place where they would live?”

“She said that an option is her place, and then she jokingly said, ‘unless SolidS let me live with them’” Tsubasa mimics the gesture and the tone of voice of the girl and then shivers, “can you imagine the kind of torture that living with that person could be?”

Shiki just shrugs it off, they do not have time to start thinking about those scenarios; Although, he must admit that it will be a real nightmare to have that woman in the dorms.

“Living with who? Was there a meeting and I forgot?” Rikka who has just gotten to the common room asks them.

The three men look at each other, no one wants to give the real reason why they are there working.

“There is no meeting, I mean…” Shiki starts explaining, but at the end he fails to give a better explanation.

“It was supposed to be just Shiki and Fumi-chan, but I wanted to help them,” Tsubasa chimes in and expresses.

The leader silently thanks to the blond for always having the right words to say. Since Rikka keeps looking at them as if he is still trying to understand what is really going on, Tsubasa sighs and proceeds.

“We’re trying to be one step ahead of Hiwatari Association.”

At that, Rikka understands, they are looking for gaps in the contract that allow them to avoid the fact of Dai living with Hino.

“Ah… I see… want me to make something to eat for all of you?”

“We’ll appreciate it, we’ve been up from 6am until now and no food at all,” the blond speaks for all, he knows that Shiki and Haizuki will be more than willing to keep going without eating.

Rikka nods and gets surprised, he has not heard anything at all, was he so knocked out that didn’t realize of the fuss outside his room? He tries to ignore the thought as he does not want to remember his night, all his thoughts were once again tormenting him, making him think that he could have been a better support for Dai. As he fights against his thoughts, he gets startle by Tsubasa’s screaming.

“Why do you need to make such outburst? What did you find?” Shiki asks him, evidently, the scream also scared the leader.

“In the second interview, she said they will be living in her apartment, that her company will approve it without a doubt.”

The three men grunt, of course, she has become the spoiled star of Hiwatari Association, she is more than sure than the company will follow her selfish ideas. Shiki cracks his neck; this is what he was fearing and now they will need to follow Tsubasa’s idea no matter what.

“Have you called her?” Shiki questions the blond man who nods.

“Yes, nee-san said she agrees on the idea and is willing to help us,” Tsubasa replies.

“Then, all we gotta do is finishing the revision of the contract so we can know that the plan can work,” Shiki adds and readjusts his position to keep reading.

Rikka keeps following the conversation, but he is totally clueless about the person they are referring to. 

“Can you ask her if she can come over to discuss with us all the details?” Haizuki suddenly says as he takes out some other documents.

“You know, she already said that she does not want to get paid for this,” the younger man comments as he sees that Haizuki has taken out some contracts.

“I’m sorry to interrupt, but who are you talking about?”

Being unable to stop his curiosity Rikka chimes in the conversation that he has been simply observing while cooking. Now, it’s Tsubasa the one who does not know if it is a good idea to reply, but there is no point in keeping secrets.

“Dai’s sister, she will help us on this.”

After the answer is giving to the pink haired man, Shiki starts explaining that Tsubasa has said that if the whole relationship is fake, they could also fake the part of living together. The blond man’s idea came from the fact that it is more than obvious that Hiwatari Association will not allow Dai to go to back to the dorm until an official break-up on the relationship is announced; so the movie can keep having a high promotion by every single social media out there. Assuming this, they know that the younger member of SolidS will be trapped in the nightmare of living with the model; unless they could come up with an idea for them to pretend that the ‘happy couple’ will be living together.

“I asked Fumi-chan to look up for Hino’s residence, it turns out that her apartment is in Tokyo’s area, it’s kind of closed to where nee-san lives,” Tsubasa replies, “so, if Hiwatari Association says that they need to arrive and leave together from ‘x’ place to ‘x’ place, they can still do it because Dai-chan will be in the same area.”

“It will be harder to pretend the living together part if Dai has to move from Tokyo to Shibuya,” Shiki adds, “the route is longer and there might be a moment in which someone can follow him and uncover the lie.”

“Which it will also be alright to be honest, we can go ahead and say that everything was a lie and…”

“Tsubasa! I told you, both parts will lose if the truth is told, when we accepted this, we knew that we will have to be part of it until the end.”

Shiki scolds the blond man, he knows that Tsubasa is the sincerest of all of them with his opinions and ideas. In fact, it is more than obvious that they all want to scream out the truth. However, the entertainment world, the fans actually, will never forgive the fact that they were deceived by two celebrities if the truth ever comes out.

“Yeah, yeah, I know, and it sucks, but with this idea we hope to save Dai-chan in case that Hiwatari Association wants to keep the ‘living together’ act.”

“What’s the point? It’s not like there is a huge problem about them living together?”

The pink haired bites his tongue, why is he saying such things? He is also worried about Dai, he does not want them to live together, he does not want Dai and Hino to be together not even for a second. Nevertheless, the words have been said and he better keeps his façade, he sees as Shiki tries to suppress a sigh, the leader does not want to discuss about this issue with Rikka anymore.

“The point is that it has come to the moment in which we need to look up for Dai’s mental health,” the bespectacled man expresses with all honesty, “his previous accident, and the increasing reports of him getting late or being too out of himself during his work is alarming.”

“Haizuki is of course the one who gets every single call from the movie staff so he can talk with Dai about the situation, and it is not a secret that he is doing bad,” Shiki adds, “just look at his face during the interview, the evident tension in all his body.”

“And the fact that he wants to give up, he never wants to give up,” Tsubasa comments with a nostalgic voice, “have you ever met an athlete that wants to give up? Because even if he stopped his athletic career years ago, he has never stopped behaving as one.”

Rikka feels as he has been stabbed by all those words, he should have stopped himself from making the question, but at the end he nods. He understands, he is more than aware that Dai is having a bad time, and the pink haired man wants to talk to him, he wants to help him. Nonetheless, every time he tries to dial Dai’s number, every time he tries to write a message, he stops himself from completing the action, and instead he ends up calling or messaging Takato.

“Good luck, I hope the plan can really work,” Rikka expresses, he shows a small smile and hopes that his colleagues understand that he does not want to keep with the conversation, “the breakfast is ready,” he adds to make clearer that the topic is over.

There is an uncomfortable pause, but the three men that have been so focused on their tasks know that they need to eat to recharge their energies and keep working. Therefore, they stand up and walk to the table where the food is already waiting for them.

“So… Tsubasa, can you call Dai’s sister so she can meet me in the office?”

“I would like to talk to her to be honest, so it’s better if she can come over to the dorms,” Shiki suddenly says, “I believe she will keep the secret of the dorm’s location.”

“She will for sure! I’ll tell her I go to pick her up and bring her here,” the blond man expresses excitedly. “ah! It’s been a long time since I saw Aya-nee!!”

The enthusiasm for meeting with Dai’s sister is share by almost every person in the room, with the obvious exception being Rikka. The pink haired man feels that he must leave the dorm before the woman gets to the place; he has never met any of Dai’s family members, but he is more than sure that he does not want to meet any of them under these circumstances.

*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*

The script revision has taken almost two hours, Hiwatari has made very clear that the last scenes that they need to work on must be as natural and real as possible. The reason is more than clear, they have made the two main actors pretend to be a couple to the real world, so most of the media has been focusing on Dai and Hino’s relationship during that time. Therefore, it is logic that the final product for the movie is having high expectations from the public and the media.

“So far I’m satisfied with what we have done, all the interactions have been according to what we intended to have for this movie,” the woman in charge of the movie speaks up when the actors and staff are getting ready to go and start the process of the final recording, “however, if we cannot get these scenes in the best possible way, then all the other work is going to be just trash and we better get ready to be burnt by the critic.”

Everyone in the room nods, they know it well; all the production and even the other actors with minor roles in the movie have been part of the lie that this fake relationship has become. The staff and other actors start moving out of the conference room, leaving only three people in there, Dai, Gou, and the producer and director, Minako Hiwatari. 

The older woman stands up and walks towards Dai; the man seems to be having such a powerful inner battle that she is afraid that the young man has not heard a word of what she said.

“Murase-kun, are you alright?”

Dai lifts his head to face the producer, he can see that the question is made with a good intention since the woman has a worried expression all over her face. The young man takes a deep, his mind has been such a turmoil while reading the scenes; he has known from the beginning what this movie will demand from him, but right now he does not feel capable of doing it.

“I…” Dai stops, he feels his throat completely dried and he doubts that he will be able to voice any further word.

“Listen, I need you to be sincere with me, is there something going on? Are you feeling uncomfortable?”

“Hiwatari-san, may I have a word with Dai-kun?”

Gou interrupts the conversation and with her look she shows that she is not going to accept her request to be rejected. The producer glances over Dai, the man does not seem to show any negative reaction, not in front of her about this petition. Sighing and feeling a bit hesitating, the older woman accepts.

“I will be outside; I still want to talk to you two.”

The pink haired woman nods and thanks to Hiwatari for allowing her some time with Dai. Without hesitation, Gou takes the seat next to Dai, this is for the movie, for the project they have been working on together.

“Dai-kun, I’m more than sure that I must be the most hated person by all SolidS, and especially by you.”

The girl starts speaking and the taller man can notice the tiny moment in which her voice breaks at the end of the phrase. Quickly, the girl remembers the words she wants to say, the words she knows she needs to express.

“Even like that, I still want to complete this movie in the best way, for my company, for Hiwatari-san,” Gou says with all honesty, “Hiwatari Minako has trusted me this project, she… she is the only person who believes in me at the company for my talent, not my looks.”

Dai finally decides to look at Hino, he can see that her eyes are a bit teary and that her face is blushed. Has she been trying so hard because of this? Because she wants the final product to be excellent.

“I also… I also want you to know that I was sincere about my feelings,” the girl keeps going, “at the beginning I did start this as a game, as a way to gain all the attention for the movie, but…”

“I will give my best to complete the project, but I still don’t trust you.”

“That’s the problem, Dai-kun, these last part of the recording… we have to act as if there is real love between us,” the woman insists as he holds Dai’s hand.

Nevertheless, the man does not look at her anymore, he is still feeling confused and hurt by Hino’s words from last night.

“You don’t need to fall in love with me, and I know that will never happen.”

Dai hates to perceive the amount of pain in the words that Hino speaks, but it is the truth, he will not be able to love this woman. Not when his heart still belongs to Rikka.

“But right now, you need to at least trust me… like you did during the first days of the recording, remember? “

Gou expresses with a hopeful tone of voice; Dai looks back at her and feels nostalgic about that moment. At the beginning of all of this, he would not have imagined all the things that could come and change in his life because of this job.

“Back in those days you will shyly smile at me and thank me for any piece of advice I could give you,” Hino continues and lowers his head, “I believe, that could have been the reason why I started falling for you, you were the first person to be kind with me without a hidden intention.”

Dai cannot keep listening to this anymore and so he stands up.

“As I said, I will do my best, in my own way.”

“Understand, still you cannot go away, remember that Hiwatari-san wants to speak to us.”

Dai takes his seat again as he sees that Hino has already started her way to call the producer. The young man hates being so vulnerable right now, as he wishes his mind could think and process all the information that Gou has told him in a better way. Nevertheless, even if his biggest wish is to find some peace, it seems like it’s not going to happen soon as he sees that Tsubasa has sent him a message.

The content is something that leaves him even more confused, a picture of Tsubasa and his sister.

“What is going on?” Dai mutters as he sees that the actress and producer are coming back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Being honest... I've been wanting to have Dai's sister in a fic for a very long time and the original idea was a fic in which Dai would introduce Rikka to her as his boyfriend... but it didn't happen XD... so she's now in this fic, I asked and tried to remember if her name has been mentioned at some point, but apparently it hasn't, so I decided to give her Aya as a name...  
Also, I wrote Tokyo as for the Tokyo station, and I got confused then if the most proper name to refer to this place should be Chiyoda or Tokyo but I left it as Tokyo... sorry if it is wrong...


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> SolidS start to take action on their plan. On the other hand, Rikka keeps feeling overwhelmed by all his emotions and every event that keeps happening. Similar to Dai who is confused and shock with how his unit decided to proceed to avoid any possibility of him living with Hino Gou.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got way too excited writing about Dai's sister and the chapter happened sooner than expected.  
Please, be clear that this fic is full of headcanons and Dai's sister (appeareance and personality) is one more of those headcanons.... ugh I just sounded too business like... is it because I'm still at work??? who knows... anyways... enjoy the chapter!

**Chapter 17:**

It is not very common for Tsubasa to go out to Shibuya station and stay for a long while there waiting for someone. Nevertheless, the long wait was unexpected as the person he is supposed to pick up at the station had a sudden setback. The blond idol checks his cellphone again, he is starting to feel as some people are rumoring about him and so he decides to move to the closer coffee shop. Once he is out of the public eye, he texts the woman he is waiting for to tell her where he is.

“Tsu-kun!” a familiar voice suddenly calls him out, he stands up and looks surprised at the woman, “I’m glad it was really you; I saw you walking and followed you, how are you?”

“Aya-nee! It’s been a long time! I’m good and you?” the man asks as he hugs the girl.

“Pretty well, busy with work, but well enough,” the blue haired woman replies, “and I’m sorry it took me so long, I didn’t take my car today and this meeting with you was totally unexpected.”

She apologizes with the blond man, but Tsubasa shrugs it off, he is more than happy to see that she has come and agreed to be part of their plan. After the greetings are over, Tsubasa indicates her the way to go, but since they have lost some time due to the train delayed, instead of walking to the dorms they take a taxi.

“Hey, let’s take a pic, I’ll send it to Dai-chan!” the idol states and before Aya could deny the request, the blond man has taken said picture and send it to the light blue haired man.

“Tsu-kun, does Dai-chan at least know that I’m being part of this?” the woman asks and when she sees as Tsubasa tenses, she sighs, “you know, with all he is going through this kind of surprises will not be good for him, after the accident… what else happened?”

Tsubasa is now the one loudly sighing, he has not been able to talk a lot with Dai after he came back, since the youngest member of the unit has been rejecting every single way of contact. The man always knew that that was Dai’s way to protect himself and stop worrying everyone closed to him, but at the end his plan did not work out that well.

“I see, what about the amnesia kind of thing you mentioned in a message?”

“Ah… after all, it was not of a big deal, the doctor said it was normal, and even some sort of defense against the stress that this job was causing him, at the moment I came back his memory was pretty well.”

Aya nods in relief, she barely keeps in touch with his brother, but she always trusts Tsubasa in case of any major emergency. After a while, they reach the dorms, the blond man guides the woman towards the main entrance and introduce her to the guard who allows her to go into the building.

“Just for you to know, things around here are usually not this tensed, but… well you know, I try to tell you as much as possible over the phone.”

“Is the situation with Sera-san too bad?”

Tsubasa shrugs, honestly, he is too frustrated with the whole issue; as he knows that those two are just going around in a nonsense cycle full of angst and suffering just because they do not want to talk their feelings out. They are about to get to SolidS floor, so Tsubasa doubts if it would be good to keep going with the conversation, and just as the elevator’s doors get to open, they get to be face to face with Rikka who was waiting there.

The pink haired man’s face goes pale, he was supposed to leave the building before Dai’s sister could arrive, but he was not able to do it. Interrupting the awkward moment, Tsubasa steps out of the elevator and takes Aya’s hand so she can also step out of it.

“Rikka, good timing, she is Murase, Aya, Dai-chan’s sister,” Tsubasa expresses with his tone of voice being as natural as usual, “Aya-nee, I’m more than sure you know who he is, but just in case, Sera, Rikka.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Sera-san,” the woman says as she bows as a sign of courtesy and to avoid any possible tension.

“Ah, please… there’s no need… to be so formal…” Rikka says stumbling with his words, his heart is beating too fast, he really did not want to meet her, not now, not like this, “the pleasure is mine.”

The model says after some seconds, he also bows to show the same act of respect and courtesy to the woman. Tsubasa looks carefully at the action, he can notice that Rikka’s behavior is too off and even if he is a master in hiding when he is uncomfortable, this time he is awfully failing at it.

“Ah, I do apologize, I need to leave now,” Rikka says after some moments of unpleasant silent.

“Eh? Do you have a work schedule so late? Wasn’t today supposed to be your day off for this week?”

Rikka takes a sharp breath as he feels how Tsubasa is getting him in the worst position.

“Well, since it is my day off, I will take some time to go out and buy some stuff I need,” the pink haired man says as he presses the button to get the elevator’s door to open again.

The blond man nods in understanding; although, he is more than sure that Rikka is just running away. When the elevator is once again available for the older man, he does not even think twice, and he steps inside. Rikka politely waves goodbye and prays for the door to close faster than ever.

“That was… weird…” Aya is the first one to comment and looks at Tsubasa.

“It’s been weird with him since they broke up,” Tsubasa states and guides the girl towards the dorm, “but, even if it sounds awful, it’s gonna be a bit better now for you to meet with Fumi-chan and Shiki.”

The blond man opens the door, he seems as excited as a little boy when leading the way, he silently wishes that Dai could be there to see his reaction, but he cannot always have what he wants. When they get to the living room, Tsubasa clears his throat getting Shiki and Haizuki’s attention.

“Let me introduce you to the real beauty of the Murase family, Murase, Aya,” the blond expresses and the girl softly hits him on the arm.

“Tsu-kun, don’t say that!” she says with a little blush on her face and with that action the two other men can clearly see the resemblance with Dai.

Quickly, the woman remembers that she is in front of the manager and leader of the unit, so she bows and introduces herself.

“You two rarely act alike siblings, but just now you acted so much like Dai-chan,” Tsubasa expresses in the middle of giggles.

The blue haired woman keeps blushing and does not know how to reply to the comment. Truth to be told, being shy and bad at accepting compliments it is what make the siblings be so similar at specific moments. Plus, the fact that they can be easily teased by Tsubasa.

“Tsubasa, show more respect to her, she is going to help us,” Shiki scolds the blond idol and then proceeds to greet the woman, “Murase-san, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Likewise, and we appreciate your help in this matter,” Haizuki continues and bows as well.

*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*

“So basically, what we are asking is that you can work as some personal driver for Dai, plus the fact that he can stay over at your place.”

Haizuki completes the explanation after showing all the documents and the contract that Aya needs to sign. The three men observe as the woman keeps reading the contract, at first sight Aya and Dai are too different. However, their similarity is on their gestures and how they react to certain stuff, that what Shiki and Haizuki silently deduce as they keep an eye on her. The blue haired woman places the documents on the table and looks up at the three expecting men.

“You know, he is my brother and there is no such thing as the need for all of this, right?” Aya shyly expresses.

“I told them, but they said it was necessary,” Tsubasa immediately speaks up and looks at Haizuki and Shiki.

“We understand that as family members there would not be such thing as the need for a contract; however, we need to document everything to prove to Tsukino Talent Production and Hiwatari Association the way we’re going to work on this.”

The manager specifies, knowing that there is no chance to refuse to sign the contract and leave it as ‘something family do,’ Aya proceeds to sign it. Haizuki then gives her a copy so she can keep it as basic protocol too; and with this SolidS feels that they can take a breath and feel at peace momentarily.

“Well now that we have settle this, would you like some coffee?”

The leader asks as he stands up to prepare some for everyone, Aya looks a bit trouble as she also checks the time on her watch. Understanding the issue, the manager quickly offers a solution.

“It’s alright, I can drive you to your place so that I can also have a better perspective of where Dai is going to stay.”

“Just for today, Aya-nee! And you can tell us embarrassing stories about Dai-chan!” Tsubasa proposes and just then his phone starts ringing, “oh! Look who is calling! Ciao, Dai-chan!”

*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*

Rikka feels his heart beating too fast, faster than he would like. It is obvious that he did not want to have this kind of encounter, but why is it affecting him so much? The pink haired feels more desperate than ever as he is going down and remorse starts hitting him.

“I should have stayed…” Rikka murmurs as he hears the sound that tells him that he has reached the lobby.

Walking out of the building, Rikka hopes that going out can help him to cheer up or at least help him to organize his thoughts and feelings. It has been three weeks since they broke up, almost three weeks since he accepted Takato back in his life, but in that time, he has not been able to feel his life in order. Every moment he has thought that he can keep going there’s something unexpected that happens and messes up with him. It is like a never-ending roller coaster that will not allow him to get off and feel his life back in the right place.

The pink haired sighs and keeps his way, he knows that for sure he has to buy something, so his lie does not get to be uncovered so easily. Nevertheless, he is not in the mood to go out for shopping, he walks until reaching a park and decides to take a seat for a while. Rikka thinks about the moment in which he saw Dai’s sister, her eyes did not show any kind of judgement nor hatred towards him, but still he felt the need to run away.

Could it be because Dai has asked him to wait to be introduced to his family? The younger man has told him several times that he wanted to have the opportunity to introduce him to his parents and sister on the same day. A family meeting, Dai used to tell him with hopeful eyes thinking about the day. However, the plan had been postponed either by the commitments they have as part of SolidS or because Dai’s family was busy most of the times.

“It doesn’t matter now, it’s not going to happen,” Rikka whispers as he is preparing himself to keep his way, he can either go and buy food, or clothes, or even jewelry, the point is going back with at least one bag.

Before restarting his walk, his cellphone starts ringing, he prays that is not any of his coworkers as he is not sure to keep the tiny lie going on. He breathes relief as he sees Takato’s phone number on his cellphone’ screen.

“Hi there, isn’t it too early for you?” Rikka greets him, his voice sounding a bit more enthusiastic and relaxed now.

“_Kind of, but I wanted to give you some good news,_” the man expresses.

“Good news, about?”

“_I’m at the airport right now,” _the man starts saying and the model feels as his heart momentarily stops_, “I’ll be back in 2 days; I got my job done faster than expected my client is satisfied and I also have a new job waiting for me in Tokyo_.”

There it is, the constant surprises that keeps hitting him hard. Rikka thinks as the words get stuck on his throat.

“_Did I leave you speechless?_” the photographer mocks and then continues, “_But let’s be clear_, _Pinky, I’m not doing this for you, ok? I do have another job waiting for me in Tokyo._”

Rikka nods, he knows that the man cannot see him, but he needs to also accept the fact that right now, he is not Takato’s number one priority either. The photographer is at a point in which he is creating his own fame and popularity among magazines and celebrities.

“I understand, it just that the news surprises me.”

The pink haired man replies and is unable to hold his sigh.

“_Something going on about the Murase guy?_” Kinomiya asks and Rikka can perceive for the first time the discomfort in his voice when mentioning Dai’s.

“No, not really, I was feeling down today, that’s it,” he says trying to avoid talking about his encounter with Dai’s sister, “but your news has cheered me up.”

“_I hope to cheer you up in a better way when I’m back, and I don’t mean it in a sexual way!_” the photographer quickly clarifies and Rikka giggles.

Again, there is a moment of silence, Rikka takes a look at the clear sky, summer has this beautiful advantage of being able to get lost in the vastness of the sky and just let yourself go with it. He sighs one more time, today he is not being quite communicative and does not know how to keep going on with the conversation.

“I’ll be waiting for you, I try to finish my work sooner to welcome you,” he suddenly says, hoping that Takato understands he does not want to keep talking, but he is looking forward for their meeting.

“_I’ll email you the details then, see you, Pinky._”

“Bye, bye.”

Rikka stays immobile for a moment, he is not Takato’s priority, but… was he Dai’s priority? Why is he having such selfish thoughts? He grunts when he realizes how awfully narcissist he sounds by thinking this way.

“Priority or not, I should try to put myself together.”

He whispers as he restarts his path. Taking the train at this time will be a nightmare, so he thinks it will be better to just go to a closed store; and then take another break at the park to make sure he will not run into Dai’s sister again.

*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*

The young man did not give any chance for any further conversation. As soon as Hiwatari allowed them to think about how they will like to go about the last scenes that they need to record in Kyoto.

Two options, he repeats in his head as he knows all of them are awful.

First option, following the script. So far, he has been doing fine with just following the giving lines. Nevertheless, when he remembers the words, the way he has to direct to Hino, he grunts. Dai does not want to express such feelings to this girl, not even acting, not even thinking that he is a different person.

Second option, they do not follow the script, there is no dialogue at all. The only people in the set will be Hiwatari and two people in charge of the cameras. He and Hino will have to pretend to have a conversation, to pretend that they are exchanging passionate feelings for each other. There will be no microphones and no one will record what they are saying to each other, any necessary line will be added during post production.

“I can’t… not with all what has happened,” the man whispers as he looks himself in the mirror.

However, as he has promised, he must finish the work, and if he wants to bet for his best option, that would be following the script. There is no need of further thinking, there is no need of keep torturing himself.

As he has made his decision, and hopes that Hino agrees with him, he remembers the message he received from Tsubasa that afternoon. Without a second thought, he calls his childhood friend hoping to find out the meaning of that picture and to leave the movie issue in the back of his mind.

“_Ciao, Dai-chan!_”

Tsubasa greets him cheerfully and he actually feels envy about the good mood his friend is enjoying. However, he cannot get distracted by such thing, he remembers the reason of his call and ignores the greeting.

“Stop calling me Dai-chan, why were you with nee-san?”

“_Ah, I’m still with her, gonna put her on speaker, say hi to Dai-chan, Aya-nee!_”

Dai freezes, where are they? What are they doing?

“_Hi, Dai-chan, how are you doing?_” he recognizes his sister’s voice and hates that she also keeps using the playful nickname.

“Nee-san… don’t call me…” Dai murmurs and stops, he cannot ask his sister to stop calling him like that, plus he is too awestruck, “what… why… I mean…”

“_She has agreed to help us with the current situation, Dai; and right now, we are going to have some coffee._”

Seriously, where are they? The light blue haired man thinks as soon as he hears Shiki’s voice too.

“_We invited her to the dorms, so we could review the contract with her_,” Haizuki clarifies, but he keeps getting more confused.

She is at the dorms, and all of them have heard his small interaction with his sister. Nonetheless, most importantly, help them and reviewing a contract. Dai does not even know what to ask first or if he should hang up the phone and never contact them back again.

“_Dai-chan, listen, they have an idea to stop the ‘living together’ with that bitch,_” Aya says without hesitation.

“_Aren’t you going to tell her not to call Hino like that?”_

“_No, she is Dai’s sister, she can do it if she wants_.”

Dai hears as Shiki replies, and Tsubasa grunts saying that it’s unfair.

“_Anyways, it’s been a while since we have been together and maybe a limited pause from this kind of life will be good for you after all of this, alright?_”

The two sides of the conversation have gone completely silent. On one hand, SolidS’ side is feeling guilty as they know how they simply threw Dai alone into this experience; no previous preparations or warning, no one that could go with him to deal with any impromptu issue. On the other hand, Dai knows his sister is right, he wants a break, he wants to forget as much as he can and try to feel himself again.

“I’m still confused,” Dai expresses after a while and he listens to his sister giggling.

“_You always need to have everything explained in the best way,don’t you?_” she says and Dai is more than sure that she has a gentle and calming smile on her face, “_I’m more than sure that Haizuki-san, Takamura-san and Tsu-kun will explain you everything in the best possible way, right?_”

“_Yes, we have already secured a space to talk with you before the meeting with Hiwatari Association_,” the manager immediately interferes.

“_And I’ll be sending you an email tonight so you can have an idea of what is going on, but don’t overwork yourself, if you are tired just go to bed_,” the leader adds.

The young man sighs, yes, he is tired; but feeling his thoughts in this level of confusion will not help him to rest at all.

“Fine… gotta go now…” he says, knowing that this is the weirdest conversation he has had.

“_Good-bye!_”

“_Bye, bye, Dai-chan!_”

He hangs up the phone and smirks as he can clearly notice the difference between Haizuki and Shiki and Tsubasa and his sister to end up the call. Nevertheless, the small moment of fun does not last long, he did not hear Rikka’s voice at all, and he can assure that the pink haired man was not even there. Dai looks back once again at his cellphone, he still has that message as a draft.

“Should I send it?”

*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*

The conversation ends and the only one who is smiling is the blond man.

“That was fun!”

His moment of happiness being too short as the woman who is in the same room slaps him on the head.

“Hey!!!”

“You shouldn’t have done that, he was clearly freaking out,” she says and sips her coffee.

Shiki and Haizuki look with shock the action, but it seems like some normal interaction between two old childhood friends… or at least old friends.

“Now I remember why I didn’t miss you that much when you left,” Tsubasa expresses and as he sees the girl raising her hand again, he quickly apologizes.

“Don’t you wanna come around more frequently?” Shiki asks with a smirk on his face and sees as Tsubasa throws daggers at him with his look.

“I wouldn’t be able to do it, but thanks for the offer,” the blue haired woman jokes with Shiki and she sees as Tsubasa rolls his eyes, “anyways, even if Tsu-kun sometimes does not use his braincells, he does know what is best for Dai-chan, thank you for always taking care of him.”

The blond man smiles, he is happy to know that his friend will be able to stay with someone he trusts for a while, and if their plan is accepted. Looking at the time, the woman apologized and indicates she needs to leave, no one asks her to extend her stay as they know she has already done, and will do, more for SolidS than what they can ask for.

“See you, Aya-nee!”

“Good-bye and thank you so much.”

“Bye Tsu-kun, no need to thank me Takamura-san, see you!”

The two idols see as their manager and Dai’ sister leave the dorm, once they are back to the common room; they realize that in fact it is later than expected, but still their third member is not back yet.

“I wish I could know how to deal with Rikka the way you know how to deal with Dai,” Shiki suddenly says as he sits on the couch.

Tsubasa hugs him from behind and kisses Shiki’s head, for now they feel that they have assured that Dai will be as best as possible, if both companies agree on their proposal. Nonetheless, they still need to get through the walls that Rikka has been building around him. If they allow those walls to go any higher, keeping the unit together will be beyond any challenge they have had.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... I'll just say that two characters are going to meet very soon.... and I think it's pretty obvious who they are XD


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The recording in Kyoto is practically complete, just some few scenes and the whole staff will be able to go back to Tokyo.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Very poor summary, but let me tell you that it was so hard to get this done... too many things have been happening and among those... I lost a special relationship.... so my mind has not been in the best condition... but thanks to the fact that little sis lives now with me, she practically forced me to complete this chapter, please thanks to my sister...

**Chapter 18:**

Sending the message has been the worst idea, waiting all night to see if there was a reply was the most stupid decision ever. Nevertheless, Dai cannot dwell on his actions and must get ready for the day. Feeling as his chances of going back with Rikka are vanishing faster and that, once again, he has lost everything he used to have, the man decides that it’s time to go and finish the work that costs him all. Or at least enter the last stage of this job.

Before leaving his room, he checks one more time his cellphone, Rikka has not even seen the message and Dai perceives as his heart breaks one more time; and even a million thoughts about how much the pink haired man must hate him now go through his mind.

Walking towards the location for today’s recording, the tall man starts sensing as his heart beats faster and his instincts scream to run away. He tries to control himself; he made a decision; he will follow up the script and he hopes that Hino will do the same. However, his hope quivers as he sees that Hino is already talking with the director and producer.

“Murase-san! Good to have you here, come please,” Hiwatari calls him out and he nods, walking slowly and hesitant for what is going to happen, “listen, Hino-san had an idea that I like, but I want to know your opinion first.”

Dai’s heart calms a bit, at least they are going to wait for his opinion.

“Yesterday, I gave to you two options, but Hino believes that there’s a third option which is mixing those two possibilities up,” the older woman explains, “so, the result would be: we will follow the actions that are on the script, but you two can talk about anything you want.”

The light blue haired man looks at Hino, the girl should know that he does not want to talk to her about anything, and yet she insists on this kind of proposal.

“I know it might be weird, and complicated to focus on the actions while talking other stuff” Hiwatari continues, “we can make one take as a test and if it does not work out too well, we will follow your decision, which is…”

“I thought that following the script was the best.”

The man replies with all honesty and sees as the director shows a bit of disappointment; without a doubt she was hoping that Dai could be a little bit more of a risk-taker by this stage of the recording.

“But… I accept, let’s make a test on Hino-san’s proposal,” he knows that his hurt heart is the one speaking, he knows that right now he wants to let go, to forget, and if he can do it through acting for this movie, he will do it.

The director starts giving the instructions to the staff at the same time that she orders to Dai and Gou to get ready with the clothes and make up for this scene.

“Thank you,” Hino whispers as she walks side by side with Dai.

“I’m not doing this for you, I just consider that it will help Hiwatari-san, she has been kind with me throughout the recording, so I own her this.”

Hino nods and suddenly stops her steps and grabs Dai’s hand.

“Listen… I know it’s too much to ask, but let me lead the conversation, ok?” the girl states, “the conversation will not be recorded, and Hiwatari-san and the staff left in the room will not be able to listen to us…”

“Why would I do that?” Dai questions her as they stopped in front of their dressing rooms.

“Would you know what to say? What kind of conversation we should have?”

Dai hates feeling cornered as Hino has attacked his weakest point; no, he will not know what to talk or what to say. The woman takes a deep breath and insists on the idea.

“Murase-san, I really feel bad for the way I talked to you the other day, I finally notice the damage I made to you and…”

“It’s not a good moment, ok? I leave you the talk, but for now leave me alone.”

Hino takes a deep breath; she knows that there is no option for her to complain about this situation that she created. What if she talks with Sera? What if she tries to get them back together? No, maybe that would be even worse as she still has feeling for Dai and she does not know if at the end that could cause a bigger mess. The girl walks alone to her dressing room where the staff is already waiting for her.

Thirty minutes later they are going back to the set, they are ready to begin with the recording. As they receive the last instructions from Hiwatari and see as the staff has been reduced to two people only, they get ready for the scene.

The previous part to this scene has already been recorded; their characters are in a hotel; they had run away from a boring party that the woman’s soon to be husband has organized. Hino’s character is the one seducing the male character and making him fall into her trap.

In some way, too similar to the reality they are living now.

The recording starts, Hino takes Murase’s hand and invites him to follow her to the bed. For a moment, the bouncy pink curls remind Dai of Rikka and the first time he walked holding Rikka’s hand towards his ex-lover’s room. Once they reach the king size bed, they take a seat, Dai hides his expression, but carefully Hino starts caressing Dai’s hair to then trace the man’s face with her right hand as she smiles.

“Now, Dai… why don’t you imagine I’m your dear Rikka?”

She gets the expression she wanted from the man. Dai is shocked, his heart starts beating faster, did she know what he was thinking? Is she really going to use this kind of strategy? He cannot keep his thoughts going on, the woman has already moved and sat on his lap; looking him straight into his eyes.

“I know I’m not him, but I believe you have been desperate to be with him… to touch him in the middle of a dark room, don’t you?” Gou expresses as she places one of Dai’s hand on her butt and the other on her waist.

“Why? Why are you doing it like this?” Dai whispers, he does not want to fall into this trick, he does not want to let his impulses win over his reason.

“Because you only love him, don’t you?”

The light blue haired man looks up, and Hino smiles, it’s incredible that they are following the actions the way they were written on the script by having a totally different conversation.

“This is our first love making scene, all the other scenes in this movie are a joke if we cannot do this properly, so we have to make it as real as possible,” the girl expresses as she leans closer to his neck, “but you are so kind hearted that you will not even be capable of faking love for someone else while acting.”

She says as she kisses Dai’s neck.

“You should start unzipping my dress in this part,” the girl mentions as she keeps tracing kisses through Dai’s neck.

The man thinks, what if he really imagines that she is Rikka? That just for now they are together again. With trembling hands, Dai starts unzipping the dress, he knows that they are not going to be completely naked. They are wearing special clothes that match their skin tones, so it looks like they are naked, and now he feels more than thankful about it.

“You’re doing great,” the woman says as she cups Dai’s face with her hands and kisses him on the lips.

“Don’t say his name anymore, please,” the young man asks her as he is the one who takes the lead on their kiss.

He feels like a traitor, he feels as his heart aches, but he keeps going. Allowing his mind to imagine, allowing his impulses to go as far as they can in this recording.

*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*

Tsubasa has woken up earlier than ever, he has a lot of work pending from his thesis and needs to complete it before the end of the week. He feels as his fingers get numb from all the typing he has been doing. However, he needs to keep on working as he also has to take advantage of the time that is left for SolidS’ hiatus.

“Good morning, Tsubasa,” Rikka greets him, he is wearing casual clothes and it does not look as he has gone and make some exercise that morning.

“Morning! I didn’t see you yesterday’s night, is everything alright?”

The blond asks, yesterday was one of those few days in which he and Shiki decided to go to bed earlier. The fact of having such issues going on has made them feel tired that normal.

“Ah, I’m sorry I didn’t let you know, I was just going around Shibuya, but then I heard about a special sale in Roppongi,” the pink haired man starts explaining, “unfortunately, things didn’t go well, I ended up losing my wallet, so I had to go back to the last store I visited, they were about to close.”

“Did you find it?” the blond man asks alarmed.

“Yes, yes, I did, but on the way to the station, my phone slipped from my hand while checking the train schedules and broke down,” Rikka explains as he feels a headache coming back when remembering all the events, “I couldn’t call or send a message, and instead of taking the train I tried to find a place where to fix my phone.”

“Based on your expression, I believe you did not find it.”

Rikka confirms his statement and sighs.

“I was so frustrated, I missed the last train and I had to take a taxi, when I got here, I was too tired and just went straight to bed.”

Tsubasa shows a gentle smile, he feels sorry to know about all the situation, especially as he thought that Rikka was with that Kinomiya. He should not jump into conclusions so fast and without talking with his friend first.

“Anyways, I’m going to drink some tea and then I’m leaving to fix or get a new cellphone.”

“Hopefully you didn’t miss any important message,” the blond comments as he sees Rikka pouring some tea.

“I hope so, but it did happen pretty late, I don’t think someone will contact me at that time,” the man states as he tries to relax.

Suddenly, the leader shows up in the common room, his face does not look as tired as the previous days, but still it is easy to identify that there is something going on in his mind. Rikka wonders if the issue could be related to him, after all he has been giving too many problems to the leader.

“What’s up with you? Aren’t you happy we have a solution for at least one thing?” Tsubasa asks him as he follows the purple haired man’s actions.

“That’s a good point, but now I’m just thinking that next week we’ll start recording for the movie soundtrack, which means working with Hino.”

“Are you really gonna bring such bad news in such nice morning?” the blond says as he can also imagine how frustrated that moment is going to be.

“You asked, I gave you an answer, I’m also thinking about the meeting and if they are going to accept our proposal,” Shiki says as he drinks some coffee.

The silence invades the room, their idea has already been approved by Tsukino Mikoto; but the most difficult part is the meeting with Hiwatari Association as they do not know what the company’s intention is. Noticing that he has brought a heavy atmosphere to the environment, Shiki clears his throat and speaks up.

“Anyways, after almost two months, next week we are going to go back to our activities as SolidS,” the man says and Rikka and Tsubasa look up, “Haiduki is already working in our schedules, as long as I know, we will have a solo concert to get us back on track and as a special gift to our fans for waiting for us.”

“It has been two months, is it really necessary?” Rikka asks, thinking about a live means a lot of rehearsals, and thus more time with Dai.

“We couldn’t anticipate in a better way Dai’s participation in this movie, at least the part of him leaving Tokyo,” the leader starts the explanation, “Haiduki and I are responsible for that, anyways, if we take into consideration the really last performance we had, it was 6 months ago, so yes, it is necessary.”

Shiki states and he does not look at Rikka, he is still trying to find a way in which he can approach the pink haired man without getting them into a fight like the last time. Tsubasa is the one who speaks up after the brief moment of silence, saying how good it will be to perform together and seeing their fans again. The blond even gets them to talk in a more enthusiastic mood and forgetting about the uncomfortable moment.

“Well, it’s true, it’s been a while since we were on stage,” Rikka concludes after a while, he still feels insecure and prays that he does not have to perform any duet with Dai, “anyways, I better get going if I want to get my cellphone back and get on time to my afternoon work.”

“If you want, I can call Fumi-chan so he can take you.” Tsubasa proposes as he sees that it’s a bit late.

“I’ll be alright, don’t worry, thanks for the offer.”

“Try to get it back as soon as possible, we need you to be able to communicate all the time,” Shiki specifies and the pink haired man nods.

They see as the model leaves and then Shiki sighs.

“Still thinking?”

“Rikka has always been able to read through any problem I have and help me out, but I’m not even closed to that for him,” the leader expresses.

Tsubasa leaves his work for a moment and takes a seat next to his lover. He realizes that what aggravates Shiki’s heart the most is not being able to help, to find a solution. It’s been a little over a month since they broke up, since Rikka keeps sheltering himself and running away from any help they can offer. Tsubasa grabs Shiki’s hands and kisses them.

“I know this is going to make everything worse, but I guess you need to know,” the blond man expresses, “the day when Hino said that she and Dai were going to live together, well way before that, I came here and I heard Rikka talking on the phone.”

Shiki looks at Tsubasa, he is really fearing where this is going.

“I… I know it was wrong that I took the chance to listen to the conversation, but since he does not tell us anything, I thought it was a way to know what is going on with him.”

“Tsubasa, just say it.”

“He was talking with that Kinomiya, I think they are going to meet soon.”

Shiki grunts, why is Rikka doing this? He was clear about it, he knows how much this man hurt Rikka in the past, but still the pink haired man is not listening to what is best.

“I will not give up on Rikka, but I will give some time to see how things go,” the leader expresses, “we will have more time with him as it is a fact that Dai will not be coming back to the dorms for a longer while.”

Tsubasa nods; although, he is not sure if Dai’s absence being longer will be good or it will just make their problems bigger. The blond man has always been the kind of person who believes that communication is the key to fix any kind of issue.

“Still… if we have the chance… let’s try to talk with him.”

“Yes.”

The word is weakly pronounced, and Shiki’s eyes are looking to a dead point which breaks Tsubasa’s heart. The younger knows that his lover’s mind has been considering every possible outcome, but the one that he knows has become stronger in Shiki’s mind is the fact that SolidS is in danger of splitting up. His usual positiveness is not coming out to cheer up the leader; and for now, he prefers to stay next to Shiki, showing him that he is supporting him and hoping that the leader can understand that working together they can overcome the problem.

*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*

The recording for the last scenes in Kyoto has ended in a successful way. All the intimate scenes were worked under Hino’s proposal and all of them have been just what they needed. Needless to say, Hiwatari is more than satisfy with the work that the two main celebrities have performed.

“With this we have a closure of our recording in Kyoto,” the producer happily announces, “we will be going back to Tokyo tomorrow.”

The staff celebrates and starts packing the equipment. The group of actors congratulate each other for the work they have done so far. Nevertheless, one of them tries to move away as soon as possible, he is finally done with this, finally able to go back to Tokyo, he is closer to be free… if he can actually go and stay with his sister for a while.

“Dai-kun…” Hino calls him, whenever she is in front of more people, she calls him in that way.

He turns around, feeling as his heart becomes heavier, but now, he does not know if it is because of hate or sadness. Ever since the girl confessed her feelings to him, Dai has tried to avoid having any kind of interaction out of the set with her.

“I… I just wanted to tell you, thank you for your hard-work,” the woman expresses, “and even more, thank you for following up with my idea.”

“I told you, I did it for Hiwatari-san, she seemed excited with the idea,” the man replies and turns around.

“Listen, all the actors are going to celebrate, I know you are trying to mark some distance, but just for today, as a farewell to Kyoto, would you come?”

Dai looks back at her, her eyes show a sincere emotion. The man grunts, but if the whole crew is going, he might take the chance to enjoy one last time being together with all the cast.

“Fine, I’ll go and pack everything first, I prefer to be ready.”

“Understand, I’ll text you when we are ready to leave for the party.”

Hino tells him and he nods. Being honest, Dai did not trust the girl when she first approached him begging for forgiveness and practically claiming that she has changed. At that moment, he could not believe that someone could change so fast, especially not after all the stuff she has done and said.

The man sighs, he knows that a part of him does not trust her yet and that is why he has been extremely cautious around her. What if she is just behaving as a friend to trick him again? He grunts, he does not want to start behaving in such a paranoid way, but after all these weeks, Dai is not sure anymore about how the real-world works. Feeling as his head will explode at any moment if he keeps going around the same issue, he takes out his cellphone and calls Tsubasa, it has been four days since the last time he spoke with his friend.

_“Dai-chan!!!! How is everything going?”_

Dai smiles, he hates the nickname, but lately, listening to Tsubasa being so enthusiastic is always a reason for him to cheer up.

“Finally, free from Kyoto, I’ll be going back to Tokyo tomorrow.”

He has never felt so happy about going back to a place nor for speaking about something so simple with Tsubasa.

“_That’s great, we will need to throw a party to celebrate!_”

“Do you remember? I don’t even know where I’m going, whether I have to go to Hino’s place or if I’m really going to nee-san’s apartment?”

He listens to Tsubasa sighing, he is also unmotivated by the uncertainty of his friend’s fate in that matter.

“_Then, we’ll go to Aya-nee’s place!_”

Dai rolls his eyes, Tsubasa is always keeping such an optimistic mood.

“Whatever, just let th… let Shiki know I’ll be back tomorrow on time for the meeting.”

“_I will let **them** know_.”

The younger man sighs, he has not said to Tsubasa yet that he sent a message to Rikka and that he never got a reply. Probably, it’s not the time to tell him yet as he does not want a bigger turmoil in his mind right now.

“As you want, I was just calling you to inform you about it,” the light blue haired man says as he gets to his room.

“_So that means that you’re busy now?_”

“I have to pack, talk to you later.”

“_See you!_”

The man hangs up the phone and before putting it back in his pocket he wonders if it would be a good idea to message the pink haired man one more time. Nevertheless, he now feels as a bother to the one who used to be his lover. Therefore, he plays some music as he tries to get himself to work and pack all his belongings.

“I decided to break up, and if he does not want to be back with me… then I have to respect his decision.”

Dai murmurs as he opens his suitcase and feels his heart getting heavier than before. He feels that at some moment his sadness will be so big that it will be impossible for him to live with it, but somehow, he will have to learn to do it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, all the characters are gonna be in the same city soon, and there are two option, or the mess becomes bigger or there's finally a solution.... let's hope the story does not become as messy as my mind XD  
thanks for reading!


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dai is finally back in Tokyo and has to go with Shiki and Haiduki to the meeting with Hiwatari Association, meanwhile, Rikka gets reunited with his old friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this chapter in one after and reviewed in like 30 mins... so mistakes can still be there.
> 
> Let's be thankful to little sis again as she was giving me ideas for the next chapter which I love and so I hurried myself to get this one ready so I can start working on chapter 20.... 
> 
> Hope you like this one...

**Chapter 19:**

The flight from Kyoto, with all the cast and staff from the movie is soon to arrive. Therefore, Shiki and Haiduki are already waiting in the airport to receive Dai and get the chance to discuss with the younger member of the unit on how to proceed in the meeting.

Practically, their discussion about the recent situation will take place while they are on their way from Haneda airport to Tokyo; due to the fact that Hiwatari Association has made a last-minute change with the time of their meeting. The leader and manager then look in anticipation as the staff has finally shown up, the first person they identify is the producer and director, Hiwatari Minako.

“Takamura-san, Haiduki-san, thank you so much for all your support,” the woman states as she bows to them, “I believe I’ll see you both in the meeting.”

“Yes, that is correct,” the purple haired man replies with a serious tone, he is more than conscious that the lady does not have to be blamed for what happened, but still he cannot control his frustration against her with all this issue.

“We are just waiting for Dai, and then we will go all together to the company’s office.”

“Isn’t Murase-kun supposed to go back with Hino-chan? That was the arrangement made last night,” Hiwatari suddenly mentions showing confusion by their sudden statement.

Shiki looks back at Haiduki, he is the only one who could have any information about that decision.

“I apologize, I did not receive any email about it, which means that from our end there is no approval for such thing, Dai has to come with us.”

The leader breathes relieved as he sees that their manager was prepared to provide an answer that could benefit them. The producer nods, she knows that they agreed on that when it was already late, so the communication could have failed. Quickly, she calls Suminomiya, Gou’s manager, to let him know about the actual circumstances and so they can come through the main gate to meet up with Takamura and Haiduki.

“My apologies, we got into that agreement, but we went to celebrate that we had successfully finished the recording in Kyoto, thus it’s more than logic that there has been a failure from our end.”

“Understandable, thank you for complying with our request,” the bespectacled man replies.

As they exchange some other courtesy words, they see as Dai is coming, holding Hino’s hand, still carrying on with their fake relationship that has been going on for almost two months. Politely, Shiki and Haiduki say good-bye to Hiwatari and move forwards to Dai’s direction; the youngest member of SolidS smiles as he sees the familiar faces and knows that he will have some brief moments of freedom.

“Dai, it’s been a while,” Shiki says as he is finally able to see face to face his friend and colleague.

“It has been, Shiki, Haiduki,” the youngest man says as he greets them.

“Then, I believe we’ll see each other at the meeting,” Gou suddenly expresses, letting go of Dai’s hand, but knowing that there are journalists around, she kisses the light blue haired man’s cheek, “see you, Dai-kun.”

“See you.”

The youngest man in the group tries to say keeping his smile, and without wasting time, Shiki asks Dai to follow them. Hurriedly, they move through the airport halls avoiding any journalist and so any uncomfortable moment. Once they are in the car, Dai sighs, it has been so long since he was able to feel relax and in an environment he fully trusts.

“I think there’s no much to explain, you already received the email and read it and is as simple as we explained it to you over the phone the other day,” Shiki mentions as he sees the tired expression on Dai’s face.

“But if you have any doubt you can ask us while we are on our way, alright?” the manager interferes, he knows that Shiki just wants to grant a good amount of rest to Dai before the meeting, but they also need to be sure that everything will be ready.

“Just one question, was Tsubasa the one involving nee-san in this?”

Both men nod to the question and the younger sighs once again.

“We are more than sure that you probably did not want anything like this to happen, but Tsubasa said…”

Shiki stops there, he is unsure to release the main reason why Tsubasa proposed this plan. However, Haiduki, knowing the unit’s leader more than enough, continues with the thought.

“He said that even if one option was getting you an apartment in the same area, it was better to get you some good company for a while,” the manager admits, “apparently, you and your sister get along pretty well and she can help you more than any of us now, at least that’s what Tsubasa thinks.”

Dai blushes, Tsubasa must have talked more than necessary about his relationship with his sister. Although, there is also the chance that she had spoken about their relationship when she visited them at the dorms during the last week.

“The most important need we have right now is to get you back in shape,” Shiki keeps going, “yesterday, we send you the schedule for this week, the photo session for the mini album is tomorrow, so we need you to have the most peaceful night today.”

“I’ll do my best,” Dai replies.

*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°

Even though Rikka has offered to go to the airport to welcome Kinomiya, the man has refused the proposal and has asked him to wait for him in a restaurant closed to Tokyo’ station. It is almost noon when Rikka checks his watch one more time, Takato was supposed to be there by 11:30am, but still there was no signs of the man.

As the pink haired is about to take out his cellphone, he feels as someone stands right behind him.

“Hey pinky, too desperate to see me?”

“Don’t be so full of yourself, I was getting tired of waiting,” Rikka replies, but he cannot hide the tiny smile on his face.

“Fair enough, thank you for coming,” the man says as he takes a seat.

“No need to thank, although I was a bit hurt you didn’t want me to go to the airport.”

“I just didn’t see necessary to make you go to Narita to then return to Tokyo, I didn’t want you to get unnecessarily tired when you have work to do tomorrow.”

Rikka looks at the man, how does he know about his schedule for tomorrow? He has not said a word yet, specially since it’s the first work that SolidS is going to have as a unit after all this time. The pink haired man stares at his companion, and before he could give a bit more of thought he proceeds to ask.

“How do you know I have work tomorrow?”

“It’s kind of obvious, isn’t it? You told me that as soon as that Murase guy is back, SolidS will restart, and you mentioned that that guy will be back today.”

For some seconds, Rikka doubts about the veracity of Takato’s words. Nevertheless, it is true that he has mentioned those details, and so he cannot argue against the man’s logic.

“I see, but you know, it will be better if you could just call him Murase instead of ‘that guy’” Rikka expresses as he takes the menu that the waitress has brought.

They place their orders and wait until the woman is gone to keep their conversation.

“I don’t feel he deserves my respect, he hurt you.”

Rikka raises and eyebrow, the model knows that now they are trying to keep an innocent and nice friendship. Nevertheless, their past is still real, and the wounds from the past are there like a scar that took a long time to heal.

“You should not talk like that, you know?”

Takato sighs, for a moment he feels that Rikka is behaving different, their conversations through messages or calls were happy and even sometimes it felt like they were flirting with each other again.

“I may sound rude but are you alright, Rikka?” the green haired man asks as he keeps his red eyes locked with the pink haired man’s eyes.

The model sighs, no he is not alright, he cannot handle the tension. He does not want to think about tomorrow, he does not want to go and work on that damn photo session. Especially knowing that Hino will be there too. Rikka sighs, he is taking his anger on someone who does not deserve it.

“I apologize, I just feel a bit overwhelmed.”

“It’s ok, I know I spoke more than necessary about Murase.”

Takato restrains himself for adding the ‘that guy’ part, but he feels it totally worthy as he sees the thankful smile on Rikka’s face.

“So, do you want to talk about what is making you feel uneasy or do you prefer that I talk about the country I visited?” the man asks with a more enthusiastic expression hoping that he can make Rikka feel the same way.

“Your trip please, I rather get my mind busy with more pleasant stuff than with my own problems.”

“As my pinky wishes,” the man replies and with a huge smile on his face he starts talking about his trip.

Takato starts telling about how good is to be a freelancer photographer and have an open minded to accept any kind of job; that was the main reason why the magazine hired him for this specific job. He traveled to Brazil, to go through some neighborhoods as to photograph the nature of the country as well.

“Apparently, this is a new magazine, and so they want to captivate the audience with pictures that make people feel as if they were in the place.”

“That sounds amazing and I’m sure your pictures will be perfect for their purpose,” Rikka replies with shiny eyes, he has loved to listen to the different experiences that the photographer has told him through their lunch.

“Thank you, pinky, best part, if everything goes well, I can stay as their main photographer,” the man adds.

“I thought you would rather stay as a freelancer.”

“I’d love to, but this one means the chance to keep travelling around the world while doing what I love,” the green haired man replies and then drinks some water, “but even having that chance, I wouldn’t forget about you, you could come with me to one of my trips, I’d make space to give you a special photo shoot in an exotic environment in any country you like.”

Rikka smiles, the idea sounds tempting, maybe too tempting in this moment in which he feels such strong pain whenever he thinks about working with SolidS. Before the conversation could restart, the pink haired man received a message from Tsubasa, message that he is more than willing to reject and ignore once he glances over the content.

*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*

They have gotten to the meeting place, even if Dai knows they are prepared and that he might not be forced to live with Hino, he still feels nervous. All his thoughts are about being back in Tokyo, being able to be closer to Rikka, but still not knowing how to fix their problem. As they move inside the building and straight to the meeting room, the young man feels as his heart speeds up. The fact of going to meetings like this is something he does not hate, he has gone to a lot of meetings with Shiki, but he hates to know that he is one of the main focus of attention for the day.

He walks side by side with Shiki as Haiduki indicates them where to sit; patiently they wait until the side from Hiwatari Association is completed, which means the president of the company, Minako Hiwatari, Gou Hino, and her manager Suminomiya. The president, Hiwatari Kei is quick to take the word once that all the involved parties are ready.

“I believe, there is no need of an introduction in the matter that we need to cover today,” the old man expresses as he sees both managers and talents, “as we know, our dear Hino-chan spoke more than necessary during an interview, but still, we are willing to support her idea.”

The man says with a strong voice, showing that he will not be willing to further discuss the issue. Nonetheless, SolidS side is not going to let them have the final call.

“Unfortunately, from our end we disagree, and we have Tsukino Mikoto’s letter about our position,” Haiduki quickly interferes as he has seen how the Hiwatari’ side was more than ready to dismiss the meeting.

Hiwatari Kei takes the letter and quickly read through it. The points that are mentioned on said letter are in fact stuff that they need to consider; the decreasing level of popularity for both of their talents being the most important one to pay attention to. Nevertheless, all the others were merely related to just SolidS.

“I see that this is more related to your talent, Murase Dai-kun as he is losing popularity, and time to develop himself as the idol he is supposed to be,” the man expresses.

Immediately, Dai tenses, is he really going that down? Is he putting SolidS in a dangerous place? Dai feels as his chest becomes heavier, this is something that Haiduki and Shiki did not mention to him. Suddenly, Shiki places his hand on Dai’s shoulder, he wants to let the younger know that he is not alone, and that they are here to support him.

“If he is a real idol, he can overcome any critic or any weak opinion that your audience is having about him, am I right? That’s how we form our talents, don’t we?”

“Maybe in your company that’s the way to do it, Tsukino Talent Production works not only for the development of an artist, but also the company supports the constant growing of the idol and support the person through their career, as a real company that cares about their talents will do, am I right?”

Shiki says, quickly, the bespectacled man has to make a sign to the leader to calm down. Even if Shiki’s words give a perfect description of what Tsukino Production stands for, it was not the appropriate way to say it. The president of Hiwatari Association looks intrigue at Takamura, a man who has been recognized and that some people considered a true genius in the musical area.

“Takamura-san, I will take your word as you have been for a long time with the company, and somehow, you are still a popular musician.”

Shiki feels as the anger moves faster than ever through his self, what is this old man trying to say? Is he really disrespecting Tsukino Production? Before Shiki could say anything else, Haiduki speaks up again.

“As of right now, I believe the most important issue in our meeting still needs to be solved,” Haiduki expresses, “You have already seen the letter of disapproval, so here it is our proposal in order not to harm our talents.”

Hiwatari takes again the papers given by Haiduki and as soon as he reads them, he laughs.

“So, you want me to risk my niece’s biggest project with such absurd proposal?”

Hino looks at Dai, she can clearly see as the man keeps hunching down and she can notice how desperate he is to leave the place. The girl knows that she will use her advantage of being the number one talent in the company in the worst way ever.

“Hiwatari-san, may I speak?” the young lady politely asks and continues when she is given the approval to talk, “I apologize, but I think I made the worst statement ever by saying that we would live together.”

The actress mentions and everyone on the Hiwatari’s side look with shocked expressions at her. Trying as hard as possible to keep her real feelings out of this and so fighting for what is best for Dai she continues.

“Don’t get me wrong, I would love to live with Dai-kun and that’s what I gave such statement in that interview,” the model and actress keep talking, “but let’s be honest, we are young and we have desires so, what if I get pregnant? That can totally happen.”

Both sides are shaken by the sudden statement; immediately, Hiwatari Kei requests a recess so each side can reconsider the situation and get to an agreement. Hurriedly, Haiduki goes for some tea for Dai as he has gone pale and cold due to Hino’s words, while Shiki stays with him.

“Is it my idea or is she helping us?” Shiki asks as he rubs Dai’s back to try to comfort the taller man.

“She is,” the younger expresses with a weak voice, “it’s… it’s weird, she changed after she confessed to me that… she is really… in love with me.”

The leader looks at Dai with a surprised expression, so Rikka was not that wrong about the girl and he was not simply paranoid. The pink haired man was actually right.

“I believe, she did not know how to control her feelings and it came to the point in which her attitude was like that,” the taller man says, he is not sure on how to describe Hino’s behavior with just one word.

Shiki only nods, there is no much to add, but if the woman wants to help them now, he will not reject such benefit. After a while, Haiduki is back with the tea, he also mentions that he has seen the president, Minako and Suminomiya still deliberating, and that the only person out of their discussion room is Hino Gou.

After five more minutes, the other party is back to the conference room.

“This plan of yours, are you sure it will work?” Hiwatari Kei asks.

“As long as both companies can handle the agreement it will work, we are sure of it,” Haiduki replies, their main commitment should be to follow all the schedules without a failure and be more punctual than ever.

“Then, I must agree, we cannot risk our biggest talent to be in such a predicament as being pregnant, there are still more projects she needs to cover for a long time.”

Following the decision, both parts sign the contracts and coordinate all the necessary arrangement for the routine they will need to handle until the fake relationship is over.

“For now, you will have to leave with her and her manager,” Shiki explains to Dai, “but, your sister will go and pick you up at 5:00pm, just wait for her, alright?”

“I will, thank you Shiki.”

The younger expresses, he feels relieve knowing that he will be able to go to a place where he can feel relax and that there will be someone he trusts. The leader seeing the grateful look that is on Dai’s face feels content and ruffles the younger man’s hair.

“No need to thank, this is something small compared to everything you have gone through.”

“About… about the popularity issue, I will work hard, I promise, I don’t want to be a burden for SolidS.”

“I know you will.”

“We are all set here, I guess Shiki already told you the schedules, so I will just add in case of necessary, some of your stuff has already been moved to your sister’s apartment, clothes, toiletries, and so on.”

“Thank you,” the younger says once again.

He wanted to keep talking with his leader and manager, but that is not possible the girl has already come to tell him that they need to leave.

*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*

The pink haired man has decided to reply, he knows that maybe Tsubasa will get angry with his reply, but he honestly does not feel with the right of going to celebrate. Not when said celebration is at Murase Aya’s apartment and when the reason to celebrate is that they were able to avoid that Dai had to live with Hino.

“So…you really don’t wanna go there?”

“Why would I go? It would be too uncomfortable; we haven’t talked since that phone call and… I’m not ready to see him yet.”

The smaller man admits as they walk through Chiyoda’ streets. The photographer looks at him, he can still sense how broken hearted Rikka is.

“Then, let’s go to my favorite bar in this area, I promise I’ll take you back to the dorms at a good time.”

The red eyes look shiny and excited, a tempting offer and a good way to ignore that all his colleagues will be out celebrating without him.

“Fine, let’s go.”

*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*

The time has gone slower than ever in his life as he has also lived the weirdest situation ever. Suminomiya has taken them to Hino’s apartment, in their way back they could see as some suspicious vehicles were following them, without a doubt they were paparazzis. They have gotten to the apartment’s building at 4:10pm more or less, and they have been in complete silence ever since they have crossed the apartment’s door.

“I… do you want some water or anything to drink?” the woman asks as she walks to the kitchen.

“I’m alright…” Dai replies and feels as his heart demands him to talk more, “Hino-san… thank you… I know…”

“Murase-san, I’m not such a bitch, I know when to interfere to help in the best way, and I told you, right?” the pink haired woman pauses as he swallows hard, “I love you and now I understand a lot more what love is about.”

Dai is now the one swallowing hard being lost at words. Then, in the middle of their uncomfortable silence the noise of a cellphone interrupts them, Dai’s sister is already there.

“You should wear a hoodie or some glasses to try to avoid that someone can recognize you, wait a moment, ok?”

She says as she hurries to her room, when she comes back Gou carries a cap, an oversized hoodie and a pair of sunglasses.

“This is the biggest hoodie I own, and I know, it’s weird that a model wears this, but sometimes I just wanna go out as any other girl,” she expresses as she handles the stuff to Dai.

“I understand,” he says as he gets all the stuff on, the hoodie fits him just fine, and then he gets the cap and glasses on, “See you tomorrow.”

“See you.”

The man quickly leaves the apartment and moves to the back part of the building. Since there is a one-way street there, it’s hard that any journalist wants to be there as moving out will be more difficult; therefore, it is the perfect place for Aya to park and wait for his brother. Even though they have not seen in a while, Dai is quick to identify her sister’s car and moves faster than before to get in.

“Hello Dai-chan, how are you?” she says, an expression full of love and the desire to spoil her little brother more than evident.

“Nee-san…” he says with a bit of exasperation in his voice as he listens to the nickname, “I’m just tired and I only want to sleep,” he replies feeling excited as they move away from the building.

“Too tired? Not even able to stay up for a bit?” she wonders as she starts driving to her apartment.

That tone of voice reveals that there is something going on.

“Aya-nee… what is it?”

She sighs, it was supposed to be a surprised, but she knows that at this moment, there is no surprise that Dai can consider as something good.

“Your dear partners are waiting for us in my apartment to welcome you.”

The man sighs, he should have known, it was weird that Tsubasa has not messaged him, and it was also weird that even Shiki and Haiduki seemed that they were still hiding something. Suddenly, the hope and fear of seeing Rikka there strikes him, and so he has to ask.

“Is Rikka also going?”

The blue haired woman quickly looks at her brother. She hates how hopeful Dai looks and internally begs that the man is already there waiting for them.

“I don’t know, Dai-chan, I just gave a key to Tsubasa and let him in so he could wait for the others and so he could get everything ready.”

“I see.”

The man whispers as he focuses his sight on the road. The only thing he can do is hope that he will see the pink haired man there and that there will be a small chance that they can fix their problems.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just know that the drama is coming back XD


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> SolidS is back to work together, but even if they do not want it, things can always go bad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OK, so while I was writing chapter 19, I talked to my sis about what I wanted for this chapter and it all escalated too quickly with her giving me more and more ideas and that's why I'm updating so fast XD...  
However, this is also because Dai's bday is closer <3 gotta start working on stuff for his bday <3  
and well... hope you enjoy the chapter!

**Chapter 20:**

He wishes he could have hidden a little bit better the sadness in his expression once he saw that Rikka was not there. However, it was not possible.

The small ‘welcome celebration’ that his friends have made for him has been nice and has helped him to feel relaxed. Although, the teasing and uncomfortable questions have been there through all the party; about the movie, about his sister, or any free topic that Tsubasa could remember; he has been happy, trying to ignore the pain and the temptation to ask about Rikka.

“Well, time to go, we tried to clean everything up,” Haiduki announces as they come out of the kitchen.

“You better take a good rest, alright?” Shiki indicates to Dai who simply nods.

“I’m so happy to have you back, and I’m sure you’ll be back at the dorms soon!” Tsubasa expresses enthusiastically while clinging from Dai’s neck.

The younger simply frees himself with one move and sighs. He does not want to admit it, but he really missed these interactions while being in Kyoto.

“I’ll make sure he gets on time to Hino’s apartment so we can keep this as long as needed,” Aya mentions as she also comes out of the kitchen, “for now I believe it is better we can all go to rest, it will be a long day tomorrow.”

The guys do not complain, she is in all the right to request them, in a polite and subtle way, to leave. They all say goodbye to the Murase siblings and leave straight to the dorms; where they hope to find Rikka and see what was so important that he did not want to go to the party.

As soon as they are alone, Dai throws himself into the couch, it has been a long day, the flight, the meeting, and even if he is back, he still does not feel free at all. Aya looks at him and sighs, he is definitely in the stage in which he has bottled up so many feels that he will not talk that easy.

“Want some tea?” she asks him.

“I think I already ate enough.”

“A tea to relax and talk a bit won’t be bad and maybe with some chocolate chips cookies for your sweet-tooth,” the older sister keeps going, she is no longer asking if he wants, she will just do it.

Dai is the one who sighs now, he has to accept defeat as his sister will not give up on her plan, but maybe a bit of conversation with her will be good.

“What’s with that smile?” he wonders as he gets into the kitchen and sees her preparing the tea and the cookies.

“I’ve missed spoiling my little brother, so I’m happy, now… it’s your time to spoil me by telling me what’s in your head.”

“Is that really something you consider as spoiling you.”

She nods, and moves her hands asking him to start talking. Even if he has promised to have a good rest, he is unsure that can happen if he needs to speak about all what’s in his mind.

*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*

The black vehicle has stopped right in front of the dorms, two adults come out of it. The blond man stretches a bit and then takes some bags from the trunk; he has a huge smile on his face after having seen his childhood friend. On the other hand, the leader still carries a worried expression, tomorrow is the day all of them will work together again plus adding the fact that Hino Gou will also be there.

“I’ll come to pick you up by 7:30am, alright?” Haiduki says as he starts the engine again.

“Fine, please call me if anything happens.”

“Thank you Fumi-chan! Have a good rest!” Tsubasa says as their manager leaves, and he waves goodbye.

Just right before they start walking towards the dorm’s entrance, another vehicle parks closed to where they are, Shiki quickly knows who the owner of the car is and he simply grunts. For a moment, he feels as it will be good to wait for Rikka over there but knowing that it may cause another discussion he asks Tsubasa to start walking and move inside the dorms.

“Why? what is it?” the blond innocently asks.

“That’s Kinomiya Takato’s car, Rikka was with him.”

Tsubasa feels somehow betrayed by the reason why the pink haired man decided not to go and welcome Dai. Nevertheless, a part of him also understands that those two need some time alone to try and solve their problems; and that probably a party with all of them, plus Dai’s sister would not have been the best reencounter for them.

*|*|*|*|*|*

“Ah, Shiki saw us…” Rikka whispers, he was hoping his colleagues could go up without noticing the car.

“Sorry, I never thought we would get here at the same time they did,” Takato adds and looks at the pink haired man.

“Well, I better face my problems sooner and not later, until next time,” he says and gets off the car.

Evidently, Takato was expecting for a warmer farewell, but so far, he cannot demand more from Rikka. The photographer can still tell that the model is still confused about his real feelings, especially his feelings about Dai and about him. Silently, the green haired man sees as Rikka elegantly walks to the dorm’s entrance and makes a small pause, it is obvious that the idol is preparing for whatever he needs to confront once he gets to be face to face with Takamura. Once that Rikka is out of sight for him, he starts on the engine of his car and leaves the place.

*|*|*|*|*|*|*

Before going in, he takes a deep breath; most likely to happen Shiki will want to discuss with him, and Tsubasa will be looking at him with a hurt expression since he rejected the invitation. Unable to postpone his encounter with his friends any longer Rikka opens the door. He walks slowly through the hall and sees as the light from the common room is still on; maybe, he should go there and let them know he is at home and that could also help to make things less awkward.

“Let’s go,” he whispers as he keeps walking, “hello, I’m back.”

The pink haired man says as he gets to the common room, Shiki and Tsubasa look back at him and greet him.

“Want some cake? Aya-nee said we should take some with us to share it with you,” Tsubasa continues, he will not judge Rikka for his decision, not even when they are hurt.

“Ah, I ate dinner a bit late, so I’ll have to pass the offer,” the man replies with an apologetical smile.

Tsubasa nods and keeps organizing the stuff they had to bring back from the party. The pink haired man looks around and feels as he needs to runaway now that there has not been any mention or any sign of complains about him being with Takato. When he is about to leave the room, Shiki calls him out.

“I hope you have enjoyed your afternoon, please try to rest, tomorrow we have a full schedule,” the leader tells him.

“I will, thank you Shiki, good night.”

“Night, night!” Tsubasa replies and goes to sit next to the leader after having ordered the kitchen, “so, no special remarks on Rikka’s outing?”

“Not tonight, I… if he believes that his relationship with Dai is totally over, I cannot convince him otherwise.”

Tsubasa hunches down, even if Rikka would think this way he is more than sure that in a remote place in Dai’s heart there is a tiny hope to restart their relationship. Shiki places a hand on Tsubasa’s back and with a undecipherable smile he proceeds to talk.

“Would you keep working on music with me if SolidS go to hell?”

“Shiki!!”

Tsubasa yells and the leader asks him to keep his voice down, they do not need Rikka to come to the living room and causing them to close the night in a more dramatic way.

The leader sighs, maybe it was not the smartest question to ask, not even the best moment. Even more, how is he thinking about starting a new project if SolidS cannot continue? SolidS was his last chance to succeed, there is no way he can start at this age something new.

“Forget what I said,” Shiki says as he stands up, “let’s go to bed, we need all of our energy for tomorrow.”

“Not gonna try to pull an all-nighter?” Tsubasa questions him in a teasing tone.

“I already did the movie soundtrack and until I can get a clear view of where SolidS is going, I will not work on anything else.”

Tsubasa sighs, now that their real reunion is coming after all this time, he can also feel tensed and anxious. Waiting for the best, that is the only thing they can do so far, Tsubasa thinks as he trails after Shiki.

“Where are you going?” the leader asks him.

“To your room, with you.”

“We don’t sleep together when there’s work…”

“Ah, don’t be like that, no need to have sex, just cuddling and kissing, and then falling sleep in each other’s arm, is that too much to ask?”

The blond man exclaims as he goes inside Shiki’s room, the leader, a bit surprised for the sudden and small outburst, grins. It seems he is not the only one who is afraid of tomorrow, thus he follows his lover and does not complain anymore.

*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*

The first morning with his sister has been nice, they woke up early and went for a run; her sister has also been into sports and they used to train together, thus, it was nice to be able to do some exercise with her again. After that, they both have breakfast to shortly after getting ready to leave the apartment. As a way to prevent being seen, Dai has decided to wear the hoodie and the glasses again, any kind of action he could take to carry this plan as smoothly and perfect as possible will be good.

“So, according to the schedule I have to pick you up at 5pm again, right?”

“Yes, I’ll wait in Hino’s apartment if the agenda gets to be completed earlier,” Dai adds since he does not want to be a bother to his sister.

“Just call me if you really wanna leave, ok? I’ll work something out.”

She says as she parks the car and her brother nods. Even if they have talked for almost two hours last night, Aya is more than sure that Dai has left a lot of things out since he really never got to talk on how he feels about Rikka and what he wants to do now. They say good-bye and the older sister sees her brother carefully moves to the apartment building. Quickly, she leaves the street hoping no one has seen her around and once she is parked in a different spot, she texts Tsubasa, so they know that Dai is on time.

*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*

SolidS dorm is always a bit chaotic when all of them need to go to work together, some are always waking up too early and some others too late. Nonetheless, today is as huge exception as the three members that are on the dorm are all together having breakfast at the same time. In complete silence, that is until Tsubasa’s phone vibrates showing the message that he just had received.

“Dai-chan is on time! I knew we could trust Aya-nee!” the blond expresses happily as he texts Murase back.

“We better hurry, Haiduki will be here at any time,” Shiki adds to then finish drinking his coffee.

Rikka does not say a word, he silently agrees as he feels that his heart is beating faster, it’s not going to be only his first encounter with Dai; he has to face Hino Gou as well after the accident he caused. Even though, he knows he handled an apology for not attending his last commitment with them and for any other inconvenience he had may cause; he still feels afraid of his mistake and the consequences it brought. While Rikka is still thinking about the past, Haiduki arrives and asks them to go down, they are already running a bit late. The pink haired man snaps back to reality and leaves the dorm with Shiki and Tsubasa.

*°*°*°*°°**°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*

Generally, any photo session would be totally private, they will have it at a location that has been selected by Tsukino Production and said location would have never been known by any journalist. However, this time since it is a work that is lead and organized by Hiwatari Association is different. Although the studio is out of Shibuya’s downtown, there are cars parked around the street, and people inside those cars are already waiting to take pictures of the happy couple, Gou and Dai.

As soon as the idol notices this, his body tenses, this is really going to keep happening until he can get his freedom back. Once that Suminomiya stops the car, he gets off first and offers his hand to Hino to help her out of the car, he hopes with this action to be able to mark the rhythm so they can move faster inside the building. Even though Gou is someone who loves the attention and to have as many photographs as possible to have her name everywhere, she understands and allows Dai to lead their way in.

Many of the journalist are left behind complaining and shocked by Hino not wanting the attention. However, some minutes later, their flashes change direction and point to the group of idols that have just arrived, SolidS. Unused to this kind of situation, the guys get off the vehicle and walk away from the turmoil with some difficulties as some of the journalist want to stop them to make some questions to them.

“Is there something we can do about that? Since when do we have to deal with unofficial photographers on a work day?” Tsubasa is the first one to complain, so far, he has loved to be able to work without worries.

“Haiduki just texts me, he will try to take care of it,” Shiki announces while they keep walking.

“Is it something that easy to solve? There were at least 10 photographers out there and if someone else knows in which building we are at, there might be more around,” Rikka adds, it has been a long time since the last moment he experienced something similar.

Shiki sighs, even he knows it will be complicated, Tsukino Production’s power in their current work is minimal, so there is not a lot that the agency can do. Having no better answer, Shiki guides them to the dressing room that has been designated to them. When the leader opens the door, he finds that Dai is already there and ready for his first part of shooting. The youngest immediately stands up, he is finally able to see his friends, again after almost two months he is able to see Rikka again.

“Hi, Dai-chan! Wow! You look so cool with those clothes!” Tsubasa says without hesitation and goes to hug his friend.

“Don’t call me Dai-chan, I… had enough with nee-san last night,” the taller expresses while he blushes for having mentioned his sister.

“You have to move to make up, right?” Shiki asks him while he checks Dai’s look with the white tuxedo.

“Yes… I was… I just wanted to say hi to all of you.”

Shiki and Tsubasa looks back at Rikka who is still close to the door.

“Ah, sorry, I need the bathroom, I’ll be right back,” the pink haired man expresses and goes out of the room.

“Rikka…” Tsubasa whispers.

“It’s ok, I should have imagined this would happened,” Dai suddenly says, “he… it might take a lot of time for him to forgive me and I understand… I’ll go now so I don’t delay the schedule.”

The youngest man does not wait for any other word, he leaves them and goes straight to the make-up room. Tsubasa sighs, they shouldn’t really expect anything better, but still it was hard. On the other hand, Shiki starts getting ready with the clothes that the staff has left for each one of them.

“Not gonna say something about this?”

“I will need to see through the whole day to start making plans for our future if there is one,” Shiki states with a serious tone, the blond understands that is better not to pressure anymore on the matter.

*°*°*°*°°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*

An hour later, every talent is ready with clothes and make up, on one side Hino is patiently waiting, people who have worked with her are surprised by seeing such calmed and composed view of the artist. Then, Tsubasa and Dai are together, the blond man has not left Dai’s side ever since they were done with clothes and make up. Then, bit away from them is Rikka sitting alone and looking at a dead point, thinking if he should just go and stay with Tsubasa and obviously with Dai. Lastly, Shiki is talking with some people in charge of the backgrounds and scenography in general about the look he wants them to try to get for SolidS based on the music he has composed for the album.

Once that the staff has prepared the first set for Dai and Gou, the photographer comes in, the cheerful and playful tone of voice is immediately recognized by the pink haired man. The model looks back and verified it, Kinomiya Takato will be responsible of their photoshoot.

“Excuse me, is he going to be in charge of this work?” SolidS leader asks without hesitation to one of the employees.

“Yes, Takamura-san, Hiwatari Association hired him for today’s session.”

The leader grunts, is there something else that can make their day more difficult and uncomfortable? Shiki looks at Rikka’s direction, but seeing how surprised and sincere his expression is, it is obvious that the pink haired man did not know anything about it. Quickly, he walks to where Dai and Tsubasa are to try and let them know a bit of the background that the man has.

“Ready to work?” Tsubasa questions him.

“That’s the guy,” the leader whispers, “that’s… Kinomiya Takato.”

“The guy who kissed Rikka!”

Shiki steps on Tsubas’a foot as the blond has been too loud and so he wants, and needs, to give him a reason to be loud for, plus distracting anyone who could have overheard part of their conversation. However, even if it has not been in the best way, the message has been given; Dai looks at the guy, a tall man, with green hair and red eyes. A man who looks outgoing and fun to hang out with.

“It makes sense,” the taller man whispers.

“What do you mean, Dai-chan?”

“I sent a message to Rikka… he never replied back… guess it’s really over,” knowing that there is no point in hiding it anymore he gives an honest reply and then he is called out to start with the photos with Hino.

*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*

Most of the session with Gou has been a nightmare, and not even because of being with the model in front of Rikka; not at all as the pink haired man has not been even paying attention to them. The reason has been that the photographer has not stopped complaining about Dai’s expressions, posses, body language, and more. Everything that Dai tries was simply pointless in Kinomiya’s vision and it is more than evident that this situation is starting to drain the young man in a negative way. Therefore, Shiki requests a paused to speak with the photographer.

“Listen, I believe you and I know pretty well that Dai has been doing a great work and you are being a jerk,” the purple haired man says without hesitation.

“Takamura-san, I have also missed you, but seriously, I think I know how to work, if your teammate cannot play it properly is not my fault.”

“Kinomiya, please,” Rikka who has gotten closer to them, without any permission, interferes and looks at the green haired man straight to the eyes with a cold expression.

“I’ll just need some few shots and will be ready to continue with SolidS.”

The man calls everyone out to keep working on the first phase of their day. Although Gou knows that she is in a place where she does not have anyone who can support or see her actions as sincere; she takes Dai’s hand trying to show him that she is with him and that they will finish their work just fine. The light blue haired man weakly smiles back at her, he is tired, and the worst part is that he is not even closed to finish.

“You’ll see, that kind of look full of love and emotion to your significant other is what I need you to do in front of the camera, now hurry up and give me that,” Kinomiya shouts and both talents feel as if they have made the biggest mistake of the day.

As he said, Takato just takes some few more pictures of the young couple and allows everyone to take a small break. Especially, to give Dai some time to change into the clothes that he has to wear for SolidS part.

“I’m really sorry, I shouldn’t have held your hand,” Hino expresses to Dai as they walk together to the dressing rooms.

“It’s over, don’t worry anymore about it.”

Listening to Dai’s voice being so broken and with all hope lost breaks Hino’s heart. The young woman sees as the man keeps walking, but it’s like if she can already notice a dark aura around Dai’s heart. Just, what has she done to a kind person like Dai?

*°*°*°°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*

When Dai is back in the set, he sees as Rikka is the one being photographed. The change in Kinomiya’s expression and eagerness to work is evident and the young man sighs as he feels his heart aching. It is going to be a long day for sure.

“If it makes you feel better, the guy was also a dumbass with Shiki, but Shiki put him in his place more than once.” Tsubasa suddenly gets closer to him and tells him.

However, Dai does not say anything, he keeps on looking at the person who is taking all the spotlight, the person who shines more than all the lights that are around, Rikka. Why, why did he make such decision? Why did he ruin the relationship they used to have? Why couldn’t he find a better way to deal with everything?

“Ok, I think we have everything with Sera-san, spectacular as usual if you allow me to say,” the photographer exclaims as Rikka comes out of the main set.

“Thank you,” the pink haired man replies with a cold voice.

“Ok, let’s move on with Murase-san.”

“Yes,” Dai responds to the call and goes straight to the main point of the set.

Once again, the story starts to repeat.

“No, no, not like that, try to be more expressive,” the man says, “your fans will get bored if they always have the same plain face from you.”

Kinomiya states as he changes the point from his photographing Dai.

“You are tensing your body way too much, aren’t you a dancer too? Show me some flexibility.”

“Alright, can we have a pause again?” Shiki says out loud, once again tired of the behavior the man is having with this colleague.

“Fine, but it’s gonna take us forever to finish if we keep going like this,” Takato replies back to the request and places his camera on a stool.

The leader does not even pay attention to the photographer’s word and goes to talk to Dai, asking him to take some water and relax for a bit. On the other hand, before Kinomiya could even reach him, Rikka stands up and goes right next to Tsubasa, at this moment the pink haired man does not want to listen to anything that the green haired man has to tell him.

“Takamura-san… wouldn’t it be better if we cancel this? I can talk to the company and see if we can schedule another session with a different photographer or anything that can be better for all of us,” Gou proposes to Shiki, it has taken all her braveness to stand up and say the words to the leader.

Shiki looks amazed at her, but honestly, he knows that Dai will not like to take that offer. He has never liked being the reason why a work cannot be completed. Therefore, even if it sounds tempting to be able to work with someone else, Shiki has to decline the offer, even more thinking about all the work that they have already completed.

Just when he is about to give a proper answer to Hino, one of the make-up artist screams alarming everyone in the set. When Shiki turns around, he sees as Dai hits Kinomiya and goes on top of him to hit him again.

“What the fuck?!” Shiki exclaims as he sees the moment in which Kinomiya kicks Dai to return the previous hit.

“We have to do something!” Hino tells him and starts walking towards Dai and Kinomiya.

Still processing what he is seeing Shiki moves after her and sees as Rikka and Tsubasa do the same. Did he really have to wonder if there was something else that could make their day more difficult and uncomfortable?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... how was that ending for today?  
I loved my sis' reaction when she read it XD  
Anyways, so far sis is saying that they should not go back together, but now I'm more inclined in making them go back togeher... so let's see who wins XD  
As usual thank you for reading and thank you so much for all the kudos and comments!


	21. Chapter 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When emotions get to be so overwhelming unexpected things can happen, words that you didn't want to say come out and the world can even fall down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe I accomplished my goal, wrote the update and 3 oneshots for Dai's bday.
> 
> Starting by posting this as I don't really want to make Dai suffer on his bday =p 
> 
> Let's see what happens with this fight...

**Chapter 21:**

He keeps tensing and feeling as the pressure in his chest rises more and more with every single word this man says to him. Dai is trying his best with these pictures but knowing that the guy who kissed Rikka is in front of him, makes everything harder.

“Alright, can we have a pause again?” Shiki says out loud, and Dai knows that the leader is trying to help him.

“Fine, but it’s gonna take us forever to finish if we keep going like this,” that man replies, and Dai feels that his blood starts to boil up.

The light blue haired man goes down of the stage and sighs, he wants this day to be over now.

“Take some water, try to take a breath and relax, it will be over soon,” Shiki tells him as soon as he has gotten closer to him.

“Thank you, I will try my best.”

As he walks towards the table in which they have some snacks, beverages, and other stuff, he sees as Rikka goes to talk with Tsubasa. The youngest member of SolidS feels the urge to talk to the pink haired man, to apologize once again, but if he does that, he will lose the little focus he has right now. Therefore, he keeps his way and follows Shiki’s instructions, take some water and take a deep breath to try to calm.

“Are you usually this bad for photo-sessions?”

An awfully familiar voice tells him.

“Excuse me?”

“I mean, I checked all SolidS works before coming to do this job, but damn, you are actually worst from what I originally thought.”

Dai bites his lower lip, he cannot allow this guy to play with his emotions, he needs to keep a strong mentality. He must be stronger on this game.

“I don’t know why Rikka should feel bad for losing someone like you, you are not worthy,” the man says and Dai knows that he is losing it, “Good thing he has me now, I can be a better man than you, make him happy, treasure him.”

“Stop,” Dai mutters.

“I’m sorry, I don’t listen to someone so useless as yo…”

The photographer does not finish the phrase, Dai has turned against him and hits him straight into his face. Kinomiya has lost his balance and falls on the floor. He has barely recovered from the hit, when the man listens to someone screaming and sees as the light blue haired man throws himself against him. Immediately, Takato in the attempt to defend himself kicks Dai’s shoulder to push him apart and makes him fall as well. However, and being blind by his anger, Dai gets on his feet and go back faster than expected to charge against Takato who is just standing up.

“Dai-chan!” Tsubasa calls him out, but there is no reaction from the younger man.

“Kinomiya stop!” Rikka yells as he gets closer to the two men who are fighting.

“Go for Dai,” Shiki indicates to Tsubasa as he keeps walking towards Takato.

The blond man nods and goes to restrain Dai’s movements, holding his childhood friend’s arms and noticing how Dai slightly flinches when Tsubasa pulls his left arm. On the other hand, Shiki has already grabbed Takato and has pulled him back as much as necessary to avoid that Dai can hit him again.

“Let me go, Tsubasa, let me go!!” Dai mutters as he keeps fighting against his friend’s hold.

“Dai-chan, this is not you, please stop now!”

“Dai-kun, please stop, this is not good for you or anyone in SolidS, please calm down,” Hino tells him as soon as she has been able to get closer to him.

Suddenly, Dai reacts to those words and he sees the environment around him, all the staff is shocked, his actions have been seen by everyone in the set; he has lost control like some kind of wild animal and everyone has seen him. The younger member of SolidS stops all his movements and lowers his head.

“What kind of professional are you?” Takato dares to speak out loud.

“If I were you, I’d rather keep my mouth shut,” Shiki pulls him again and whispers to his ear, he is already thinking about all the possible consequences that they can face as a unit for such disaster, but still he will not keep quiet to Kinomiya.

The photographer knows that Shiki will not hesitate in bringing his career down to pieces. Therefore, the man does not say any further word and he simply looks away.

When people around the set seem to have calmed down and are just staring at the scene, Shiki let go of Takato, and Tsubasa let go of Dai. The latter is still motionless, and he can hear as his heart is racing up, just what has he done?

“Dai, come with me.”

The severe and cold tone of voice just confirmed to Dai what he already knows, he is screwed.

“We apologize, but we might need to postpone this,” Shiki speaks as he walks away with Dai, “I’ll confirm with all of you in some moments.”

The staff silently nods and waits for further instructions. Therefore, without wasting time Hino walks towards her manager, asking Suminomiya to call the agency and request for a different photographer as fast as possible.

“Gou-san, that is a little out of our possibilities and we don’t know…”

“Just try it, please, this… this is my fault, somehow, so we need to make sure that this can work out and make sure to protect Dai-kun’s image.”

“Understand, I’ll make some calls.”

On the other hand, Kinomiya is cleaning up some blood from his lip, Tsubasa has already walked away from that place, but Rikka is still there, coldly looking at the photographer.

“I’m glad you are no longer with such a violent guy.”

“What did you say to him?” the pink haired man asks without showing any sympathy to the man.

“I didn’t say anything to that guy, he just lost control.”

“You have to make a better job if you want me to believe you,” Rikka replies as he gets closer and pretends to be helping the man, just to try to make SolidS image a bit better after the incident, “After this I am more than sure that we should not see each other ever again, but…” the man pauses as he cleans the wound, “you’re gonna confess every single word you said to Dai to me.”

“Is that a date?” the man asks with a grin on his face.

Rikka looks dead serious at him, and so the man’s grin disappears in a matter of seconds.

“I’ll text you later, and you better admit your fault on this.”

“My apologies, Kinomiya-san” Hino’s manager suddenly comes and interrupts the conversation, “my company has informed me that we do not longer require your services, please leave the set.”

“Pardon me?”

“We are going to pay you as we agreed, but due to the previous behavior we do not want to keep working with you” the manager expresses without hesitation, “we will send you a notice with what we need you to declare soon, please accompany me to the exit.”

Takato looks at Rikka as if he were asking the pink haired man to interfere in his favor, but Rikka does not act in that way. Unable to say anything that allows him to keep going with the work, the man goes and picks up his equipment to consequently follow Suminomiya to leave the building.

“Listen please,” Hino speaks up as soon as the photographer is out of the set, “a new photographer will be here in thirty minutes until then and once we have all SolidS back, you can take a rest.”

Once that the announcement is over, Tsubasa walks out of the set and Rikka sees as the blond is going away. Immediately, the pink haired man trails after him, he is more than sure of what the blond is about to do.

*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°°**°*°*°*

Dai has silently followed Shiki, there is no way he can justify himself, there is no way he can make his actions seem as something reasonable. The leader opens the door of SolidS’ dressing room and requests Dai to go in first, the younger obeys and keeps his head low.

“Take a seat,” Shiki says, he is more than sure that what he needs to say will not be easy, even worst when he feels so upset with the whole situation, “What the hell happened there, Dai?”

The younger remains silence, he does not know what to say.

“Just yesterday, Haiduki and I were helping **you**, we were trying to make things easier for **you**, and this is **your** way to show us gratitude??!!!”

Shiki’s voice goes louder with every word he said, every word is like a dagger that is nailed on Dai’s heart.

“Tell me, how am I supposed to explain this to the president? What are we going to do with this photoshoot? How are we going to recover the time we have lost? How are we going to explain this if it is ever known by the press?”

Dai opens his mouth, he wants to talk, he wants to give an answer for everything. Nevertheless, the sound does not come out, he knows he made a terrible mistake, but he got lost, he couldn’t control himself. The younger man inhales with some difficulty, he cannot even look at Shiki in the eyes. Before the leader can keep going, he listens to his cellphone ringing somewhere in the dressing room and goes to look for it.

“Damn it!!!!” Shiki screams out loud when he finds it and check the message, he goes and gives the cellphone to Dai, “Look!!!! Look at the photo Haiduki just sent me!”

Dai does as he is requested; someone, one of the paparazzis that was out, has taken a picture right in the moment when he hit Kinomiya. The picture has already been uploaded into social networks and fans are already commenting on the event.

“Damn it, damn it, damn it!!!!!” Dai hears as Shiki keeps cursing and hitting the wall.

“I… I never wanted this…” the younger man whispers.

“Excuse me?”

“**I NEVER WANTED THIS**!” Dai screams louder than ever, “I never wanted to be famous, I never asked to be an idol, I never wanted this kind of life, I never… I never asked for this!”

As he yells, he breaks down in front of Shiki. Tears start to fall through Dai’s face, the younger man cries out loud and gasps for air as he is desperate letting out of all the frustration that has been crashing his heart. When did he let everything fall to pieces? Why wasn’t possible for him to keep himself together? He cannot stop his crying, he is hysterical thinking about a way to solve all the mess he has just caused to SolidS, but how? His breathing speeds up, what can he do? How can he make up for all his mistakes?

“Dai, calm down, calm down, please!” Shiki tells him as the leader has seen that Dai is closed to hyperventilate, “Dai, listen to me, please, calm down! Focused on my voice and calm down!”

“I ruin everything, I ruin it,” the younger repeatedly says, “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, Shiki, I’m sorry,” Dai keeps crying, but he seems to be too out of himself.

The leader slowly feels as his heart also breaks apart; it is true, Dai never asked for this, his dreams and aspirations were too different when he was younger; and he would have never imagined that any of this could happen to him. Shiki pats Dai’s head and keeps doing it until the crying becomes just some soft sobs.

“Dai, as your leader and the main person in charge of SolidS, I need to ask you,” Shiki makes a pause waiting for Dai to look at him in the eyes, “if we get to solve this, do you want to keep going on as a member of SolidS?”

Dai stares at Shiki as if he is being asked if he wants to keep living. Because being honest, SolidS is his life now, what is he supposed to do if he leaves SolidS? He cannot swim as an athlete, he left college, he does not have many skills that can be helpful out there. SolidS is his everything.

He clears his eyes, trying to stop the constant tears and nods, he wants and needs to keep going on with SolidS.

“Stay here and calm down, I’m gonna see how things are going outside.”

“Shiki…” Dai calls him before the leader leaves the room, “I’m really sorry.”

*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°**°*°*°

Tsubasa hurries his steps, he needs to get there before Shiki says something inappropriate to Dai. Although, he knows that Dai’s behavior was totally wrong, he is more than sure that this conduct is just Dai collapsing slowly to all the pressure. 

“Tsubasa?” Rikka calls him out and he turns around, “what are you going to do?”

“I’m going with Dai and Shiki, isn’t that obvious?” the blonde man replies and when he is about to start going away again, Rikka stops him.

“Shiki is our leader he needs to talk with Dai alone, right now it’s not the time to play ‘best friends’.”

“Listen, Rikka, just let me go, I don’t want to argue with you, I think we are all having a difficult time right now to come and make more troubles.”

Tsubasa states, he is starting to feel as the anger is slowly accumulating, all of this is happening because Dai and Rikka didn’t communicate properly. Because Rikka did not want to trust Dai and because a person who is totally alien to SolidS got in their way.

“I’m just saying Shiki needs time to talk with Dai, Dai made a mistake and…”

“You also made a mistake with Hino, remember? But you know who covered your ass? Dai, so I think there’s no point in you talking about Dai’s mistake.”

Rikka opens his eyes wide open, how dare Tsubasa speak about that just now? After all, the situations are different, aren’t they? Before the pink haired man could reply to anything, someone who has listened to part of their conversation gets their attention.

“I apologize to interrupt, but the make up team and stylists want you back so they can have you ready for when the new photographer comes in,” Hino expresses with firm voice and looking at both men, “the staff has decided to start with you two as we wait for Takamura-san and Dai-kun.”

Tsubasa looks at Rikka like apologizing for having lost the control and so having revealed that information in a careless way. Both idols exchange looks, they were really making a bigger mess, and no one deserves that, even less Shiki.

“Yes, we will go now,” Rikka is the first one to speak and Tsubasa follows.

“Sera-san, before you leave, may I have a word with you?” the actress asks him.

Tsubasa looks alarmed any contact between those two might be too dangerous, especially now. The pink haired man looks at Tsubasa, requesting him to leave them alone and start getting ready for the photos.

“Okui-san, don’t worry, the last thing I want is to cause anymore problems to SolidS,” Gou expresses as she sees the doubt on Tsubasa’s eyes.

“I… no, I just was thinking that it will be best if all of us could get ready now, we do not know how long Shiki and Dai are going to take to come back.”

“I’m here, what is it?” Shiki who has gotten to that hall says and looks at the three talents over there, “what is going on?”

“Hino-san and I are going to have a small conversation, in the meantime you and Tsubasa can get ready for when the new photographer comes in,” Rikka quickly clarifies.

“New photographer?”

“I asked Suminomiya-san to call the agency and cancel Kinomiya’s services, my agency quickly looked for one that has worked on previous jobs with SolidS and he is coming now.”

The young woman clarifies as she has seen the confusion on Shiki’s expression. The leader of the unit nods, if Kinomiya was fired by Hiwatari Association that gives them a little hope to be able to get through this in the best way. Without thinking it too much, Shiki takes his cellphone out, hoping he can get an answer from the president.

“President? I’m sorry to interrupt… ah… so you already know… yes… yes… I want to talk about that… bring Dai as well…I don’t think that… ah… yeah… but please, understand I need to confirm if he feels in condition to go… yes, yes, understand… thank you president.”

Three curious people lies their eyes on Shiki, what was that conversation? And why was such need to call the president right now.

“Hino-san, I apologize for asking you more than you have already done, but someone leaked a picture of Dai hitting that guy.”

“No need to say more, let me get to work on it,” Hino says as she takes her cellphone out as well, “Sera-san, I hope you can give me some of your time before we finish today.”

She exclaims before leaving them while making some calls and walking straight to the set probably to talk again with her manager and get her company to make the necessary moves. On the other hand, Shiki, Rikka, and Tsubasa stay there looking at each other in awkward silence since they are all assuming that SolidS has gotten into a real problem this time.

“I’ll go to talk with the president after this,” Shiki breaks the silence, “Tsubasa, can you please go and check on Dai? We need to work faster than usual now.”

“You don’t have to go alone to talk to the president we can all go and…”

“Tsubasa, for now, go and check on Dai, alright?” the leader interrupts, yes going as SolidS will be good so the president can see they want to be together and work this out as a unit, but right now he does not want to discuss about it.

The blond looks hurt, but in this moment, there is no point in starting a new argument over who is going to talk with the president and who is not. Thus, Tsubasa starts his way to the dressing room, hoping that he does not find an awfully devastating view.

“Rikka,” Shiki calls his friend who looks startled by the sudden mentioned of his name, “I’ve been trying to be patient with all of this, I dearly appreciate you as my friend and you know it, right?”

“I do… and I also do appreciate that you have been so patient about this with me,” the pink haired man replies.

Shiki sighs and runs his hand through his hair.

“As a friend and as a leader, I need to ask you something, please stop seeing Kinomiya.”

Rikka lowers his head, he knows he has to do it, but at the same time a part of him doesn’t want to let go of him. Kinomiya has been his biggest support through all of this.

“Please, what he did today it was not something that can be seen as a joke, it was a way to get on Dai’s nerves without a reason, your problems are not his problems,” Shiki keeps going, “if he would be someone who honestly cares about you, he wouldn’t have messed with your work, nor your coworkers, he would have kept a professional behavior from the beginning to the end.”

Shiki expresses with a stern tone of voice and waits for Rikka’s reply.

“I…I understand,” the pink haired man replies, “I just… I’ll just need to see him one last time to clear up some stuff.”

Rikka looks up at Shiki and proceeds.

“I know what he did was on purpose, I just want him to explain himself.”

“You know, you are expecting a lot from him, right? I don’t want him to hurt you as he did in the past, Rikka.”

Shiki says keeping a serious face and hoping that Rikka can understand that this is not just him being unfair.

“He won’t, last time I was in love, now I was just looking for a friend and he failed sooner than expected.”

The leader nods, it hurts him to see that nostalgic and disappointed smile on Rikka’s face, but as long as he understands why he is asking him this is alright.

“Now, let’s go, let’s make some time until Tsubasa can come back with Dai.”

“Yes.”

Rikka simply replies, internally his mind is making so much questions about Dai that he even feels stunned by himself, but he needs to calm down and keeps working. As he sees it now, it’s better if he takes one step at the time.

*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*

Tsubasa gets to the dressing room, before going in he takes a deep breath and then knocks on the door.

“Dai-chan, may I come in?”

“Come.”

Dai’s voice is too weak, just by that the older knows that whatever happened between Shiki and him was pretty bad. Slowly, the blonde man opens the door and gets a glimpse of Dai, he is sitting on the couch, crunching and with his hands covering his face. The view is more than enough to make Tsubasa feel distressed.

“How are you feeling, Dai-chan?”

“I ruined SolidS, how do you think I’m feeling?”

Tsubasa goes by Dai’s side and put his arm on his friend’s right shoulder.

“Listen, Hino is working on something, probably asking her agency to release a statement that all of this is Kinomiya’s fault,” the blonde man starts explaining, “and Shiki… well, he has already called the president, we will work something out.”

Tsubasa explains as he takes some tissues and starts cleaning Dai’s face and clothes. He feels worried as he sees the stain caused by Kinomiya’s shoes, mainly because it is evident that it was a strong hit on Dai’s injured shoulder. The blond man questions himself if it would be appropriate to bring that into the conversation, but his thoughts are interrupted when Dai’s quiet voice comes up again.

“Tsubasa… do you think that someone can ruin his life twice? Because I am the living proof that that can happen.”

The question thunders in Tsubasa’s mind and heart, and it becomes stronger when he sees the tears falling down his friend’s face.

“We will get through this, Dai-chan.”

Tsubasa expresses, but even now he feels as his heart aches with uncertainty.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, apologies for taking so long to get an update, I was really working on the 3 oneshots that I still need to check...   
Also, I'm trying to get this done at 30 chapters more or less... but I can't promise that be the precise amount...  
In these last days I was joking with sis that if 2 characters of the soap opera I watch could get back together that means that Dai and Rikka could also get back together in this fic... we will find out if that's a possibility during this week XD  
Anyways, thank you so much for reading, for every hit, every kudo, and every comment!  
Please keep safe and stay at home! all this messy situation will be over soon!


	22. Chapter 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The photoshoot is over, but now it is time to face the consequences of his actions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really want to finish this fic before August... so let's see how good I can do it... I have plenty of time so I would dare to say that there will not be any problem....   
As usual, thank you for reading and the support in this fic <3

**Chapter 22: **

Dai has been feeling as if he has been in a dream, or better say in a nightmare. Even if Tsubasa had gotten him two soothing pills, he could not calm down. His mind has been a disaster, thinking as the views and the comments on that picture must have increased during the last couple of hours. Thinking as all his coworkers are reacting about his action, thinking about the consequences that this can bring to SolidS.

A complete chaos.

Moreover, the photoshoot has not helped at all, whenever he has to be closed to Rikka his heart speeds up, he feels tensed, his mind cannot stop the constant and crashing thought that Rikka hates him more than ever. A torture that he has never imagined it could happen.

“We are done with SolidS! Thank you for your hard work!” the photographer announces as he moves quickly to get ready to start with the pictures of Hino and Murase.

Dai stays numb on the mini stage as he sees his partners moving out of the platform, would they forgive him for the damage he has caused? The young man feels as the cold sweat starts sliding down through his forehead once again, he must remain calmed, he cannot keep causing delays to this work.

“Dai-kun?” Hino’s voice makes him react in time, “are you feeling alright? I can request my agency to…”

“Please, don’t, there’s no need to cause more problems,” Dai quickly replies and cleans the sweat with the back of his hand, “I’ll get change quickly and we will do it now.”

“As you wish.”

The pink haired woman replies as Dai finally starts walking to the dressing room to change to the first outfit that he had worn that day.

On the other hand, Shiki, Tsubasa and Rikka are all watching in silence. The leader keeps sending messages and reviewing his phone occasionally.

Haiduki has informed him that so far, the official statement given by Hiwatari Association has announced that Kinomiya Takato has been unprofessional and rude with Murase, reason why the argument happened. Besides, even though the company disapproves the behavior from both men, they recognize that their main priority is to take care of the talent under Tsukino Production’s management which is why they cancelled Kinomiya’s contract right away.

“How is it going?” Tsubasa asks him after Shiki has grunted for the fifth time in a row.

“Kind of good, kind of bad,” the leader says, “Hiwatari Association is covering up for Dai, his most loyal fans are defending him, but the ones that have been unpleased ever since he announced his fake relationship with Hino are just making a bigger mess.”

“Bigger mess?” Rikka asks with curiosity.

“Those so-called fans are stating that Dai should have a correction measure, having him out of some shows and stuff like that,” Shiki replies, he knows that getting angry with those fans will not help, but he cannot control his emotions at a moment like this, “they keep saying that Dai is ruining SolidS.”

“Are you going to take him to the meeting with the president? He does not look like he can handle that,” the blonde man continues, “and if you do take him, I want to go as well.”

Shiki grunts once again and then he sighs. The leader runs a hand through his hair thinking about how he can kindly reject the petition, however, kindness is not something he can express when feeling stressed.

“Tsubasa, you cannot come with us, the president asked to talk with me and Dai, that’s it.”

“But…”

“Please, don’t start… you and Rikka are going back to the dorm after this, I won’t discuss it anymore.”

Shiki says without hesitation and he goes closer to the staff who is preparing the set to keep on working with the photos; he needs to know how long it will take to complete the work to have an estimate time for the meeting. The leader knows that they have just started with the second half of the session, but it is a must to coordinate as soon as possible.

“We need some more make up for Murase-san, please,” the photographer pauses just before starting and let the make-up artist do their work.

“How long would it take?” Shiki asks the professional.

“If he keeps sweating like this, at least two more hours,” the man replies, “he seems pretty affected by the incident, is it really ok for us to continue?”

“It’s better now,” it’s all the reply that Shiki gives to the camera man about the situation, “let’s make it happen in that time frame.”

The leader finishes the conversation and returns where Rikka and Tsubasa are.

“I’m gonna call Haizuki so he can come for you two, I will stay here with Dai so we can go to meet with the president.”

That’s the final instruction that they receive, knowing that Shiki is in a mood of not taking any ifs or buts Rikka and Tsubasa bow to the staff and thank them for their work on today’s schedule. Both idols walk out of the set, even if Tsubasa wanted to stay until making sure that Dai is alright, he has decided to follow Shiki’s orders, it is a must to avoid further arguments.

“Tsubasa,” Rikka calls him out and the blond one turns around to face the pink haired man, “I want to apologize, for everything, I feel that what happened with Kinomiya is also my fault.”

Tsubasa can notice Rikka’s teary eyes; he is in fact mad at Rikka, he is angry that his friend has gotten involved with that man. However, they must start fixing issues one by one; with the current situation and being unknown to how the president is going to react about Dai’s altercation, it will be best if they can start getting along.

“Listen, I have to be honest, yes I was angry with you, it broke my heart to know that you were seeing someone else, but I cannot judge you nor keep being mad at you,” the younger idol expresses, “let’s try to get along, let’s try to talk more and solve all of this mess, alright?”

“Yes, please, let’s work together,” Rikka replies and his voice breaks at the end of his words.

Tsubasa knows that Rikka is also tired, he has isolated himself from everyone in the dorm and that is why he ended up bonding with someone like Takato. The blonde man goes closer to Rikka and hugs him.

“It’s alright, as a unit we have to be in this together and become stronger, just like we have done it in the past,” Tsubasa says as he gently strokes Rikka’s hair.

“Yes, we will do it.”

They break apart from the hug, and there is this tiny need in Tsubasa’s heart to try and convince Rikka to talk with Dai, to prove that with a long and deep conversation they can fix the problem. Nevertheless, the day has been long enough; an awful and heavy day; that they need to close in the best possible way. Therefore, Tsubasa simply pats Rikka’s head one more time and asks him to keep going so they can change and meet with Haiduki to return to the dorms.

*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°

It has taken a little bit more than two hours, but the photoshoot is finally over, Dai feels as his body releases part of the tension, but unfortunately the day is not over yet for him.

“Take some water, Dai-kun,” Hino tells him as she has brought him a bottle of water.

“Thank you, Gou-chan.”

He says, it is the first time that he has called her like that in such a natural way and with such gesture full of kindness. However, the girl recognizes that this is a moment in which Dai is vulnerable and she should not take this as a positive sign for her, Dai’s heart still has a clear owner and that person is Rikka.

“Listen, the make-up artists and people in charge of costumes know that you are not at fault, Kinomiya pressured you to a breaking point and no one can bear with so much shit in one day, alright?” Gou keeps saying as she sits next to Dai, “I have talked to some people around they are willing to help you, and my agency has already released a statement and we will support you on this, got it?”

Dai nods and takes some water, thinking about that problem, he remembers that he still has to go and face the president.

“Ready to go?” Shiki comes and asks him.

“I’ll just go and get change,” Dai expresses and stands up, “see you later, Gou-chan.”

“See you.”

The girl sighs, if she could have predicted all this mess, she would have never created such inventions as their fake relationship nor staying that they would live together. She would have tried to behave as a professional, but… would she have been able to do it? Up until now she has always been a spoiled and underbred girl, but since she was coming from an agency that never treated her right to one that always gives her everything has contributed to this conduct. That is why, she is not sure is she would have been able to prevent the chaos she made for Dai.

“Hino-san, thank you so much for your help today,” Shiki expresses making her come out of her thinking.

“You don’t have to thank me, I’m just trying to redeem myself,” the girl replies and stand up, “I don’t know how much I will be able to help SolidS, but I will do it.”

Shiki nods and there is a sudden urge; he usually is not the kind of person to dig in to get more information, but this time his curiosity can more than his self-control.

“May I ask why the sudden change?” the leader inquiries, he does not really specify, but judging from the woman’s expression she has understood what he means.

“The day in which I said we were going to live together… I went back to his room, I wanted to keep telling him how Sera-san had forgotten about him and that he needed to move on, to be with me, but…”

“But?”

“I heard him crying right next to the door… he didn’t even have the strength to move to his bed… he was in such weak and helpless state,” Gou answers and places her hand on her chest, “it hurt me so much… I realized then that what I saw as a game or even as a competition has been hurting the person I was claiming to love.”

The woman sighs and starts fidgeting with a hair strand, then she keeps talking.

“It’s hard to understand that sometimes love means to let go, to help the other person to find happiness, and that’s why I’m trying to help,” the woman admits and looks up at Shiki, “that was a long night, but I found a lot of answers, it might sound unbelievable, but that’s the true.”

Shiki keeps quiet, he is sure that Hino has spoken with all honesty and her change is real.

“Love is a hard emotion to understand, but I can certainly say you are getting a hold of it,” the man expresses, and he wants to say more, but his cellphone interrupts the moment, Haizuki is back and waiting for them.

“I heard from my manager that you rejected Okui-san’s help, but if you want, I can go.”

The woman proposes after listening to Shiki reading the message out loud.

“For now, it’s best if Dai and I are the only ones in the meeting, once again thank you for your help,” SolidS’ leader replies, “Haizuki will take Dai to your place as soon as the meeting is over and we will get in touch with his sister so the plan can keep going on.”

“Understood, good luck!”

*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*

As soon as Haizuki has brought them back to the dorm, Rikka sends the message to Kinomiya, just one phrase on it, ‘_We need to talk_.’ The response does not take long as Rikka has not even placed his cellphone on the table when it rings again.

_‘Come to my apartment.’_

The pink haired man sighs, certainly he did not want to go to a public place after what happened and having a phone conversation would not be the best as Tsubasa could hear them talking. Rikka slaps himself, he should not keep this as a secret, they agreed to talk, to work this out as a unit. Nevertheless, this conversation with Takato is an alone task that he has to take care of. Seconds later, he receives the location and quickly replies to Takato that he will be there in one hour.

“Tsubasa,” Rikka calls him out, his heart beating faster, “I have to go out, I hope to be back to welcome Shiki.”

“May I know, where are you going?” Tsubasa wonders as he sees the instant sing of discomfort on Rikka’s face.

“Since we agreed on working together and talk, I’ll be honest… I’m going to meet with Kinomiya one last time, I need to know what he said to Dai.”

Tsubasa feels as this is a bad idea, especially today. What are they going to do if someone finds Rikka with Kinomiya? They still do not even know what the president is going to tell Dai nor if there is any disciplinary action waiting for Dai or the whole unit. Hesitant, Tsubasa nods.

“Understand, just take care.”

“I will, see you later.”

Tsubasa sees as Rikka walks the hallway and waits until the pink haired man is out of the dorm. For a moment, Tsubasa thinks about sending a message to Shiki to let him know, but there is no point in increasing the level of stress that his boyfriend might have at the moment. Feeling as the need to keep his mind busy has gone beyond usual, Tsubasa gets himself occupied with college stuff that he still has to work on.

*°°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*

Although the president has been advised about their time of arrival, after the delay with the photoshoot, Shiki and Dai still have to wait for a while. The leader could notice as the passing minutes are just torturing Dai and how it only helps to intensify his frail state of mind.

“You want me to get you something to drink?” Shiki asks him and causes him to jump out in surprise.

“No, it’s ok, I’m alright,” the younger replies and lowers his head again.

“Listen, Dai there is not much we can do at this moment,” the leader speaks up getting the younger man’s attention, “I’ll try to help you out as much as possible but…”

“You don’t have to do it,” Dai interrupts, “I will only feel more guilty… I… I haven’t responded as expected.”

Shiki knows that this is part of Dai’s personality due to all those years that he was an athlete, in which discipline and effort would be rewarded with victory. At this moment, in Dai’s mind he has recognized that he has not done anything that can retribute him a victory and there is no way that he can get himself to beg for misery.

“Dai…”

“Takamura-san, Murase-san, the president is ready to see you, please come in.”

Both men stand up, Shiki guides the way as Dai slowly follows him, the leader announces their entry and Mikoto Tsukino invites them to continue. For Dai, it feels, somehow, as a memory of the past, the moment in which he walked to the doctor’s office and he was told that he was unable to keep swimming.

Now, what kind of punishment would be?

Dai wonders as he keeps his way, feeling as each step becomes heavier and the thunderous thoughts are about to make his head explode. The first instruction by Tsukino is simple, take a seat, Dai follows it as soon as he can, and he feels a certain relief knowing that he will not fall to the ground, at least not yet.

“I must assume there is no reason to explain why we are all here, am I correct?” the president speaks up and both men nod, “good, in that case, may I have a clearer view of the events?”

“Of course, what ha…”

“Shiki-kun, excuse me, but you are here because you are the leader of the unit. Nevertheless, Dai-kun is the one who must explain his behavior.”

The president then directs his look towards Dai, the younger man nods and clears his throat. However, his mind goes blank, what happened?

What happened to him to make such disaster? Why couldn’t he control himself a bit more? Was it for the constant bickering from Kinomiya? Was it because that man has kissed Rikka? What made him react like that?

“Dai-kun?”

“I apologize, we… we were taking the photos and…”

Dai pauses again, is it logical to give such vain reason? ‘The photographer was messing up with me and I couldn’t take it,’ once he thinks about it, he feels so awful, and so embarrassed for making the mess.

“Being honest, it was something stupid… the photographer, for some reason,” he bites his tongue for not being able to tell the exact reason, “for some reason, he could not stop messing around and offending me, I lost control and I… hit him.”

The words give him a terrible taste of guilt, it was not just a photographer, that man is probably Rikka’s couple. Therefore, once again, his thoughts start going about Rikka and what the pink haired man might be thinking about him in this moment. He didn’t just ruin SolidS, he also ruined the chance to at least having a peaceful friendship with Rikka.

“For ‘some reason’?” the president questions him and Dai nods, “It is an unfortunate event, in all my years in front of this company I have not seen any of my talents performing such deplorable action and with such poor justification.”

“President, if may I have a word…” Shiki tries to interfere, but Tsukino does not allow him to continue.

“Tell me Dai-kun, has the movie been such a burden that you are not having self-control? Or is there a better reason for all this madness?”

The young man takes a deep breath, this keeps being a huge lie and he has to keep making it bigger.

“Just the movie… I’m not used to this kind of project, even less being the focus of attention for so long.”

Tsukino Mikoto sighs, he clearly sees through Dai’s lie, but he cannot force his talent to be honest with him. not if Dai is so convinced to keep the lie.

“The movie production will be over in next week, am I correct?”

“Yes, sir,” Dai replies, still his head low and without making any eye contact with the president.

“After that, you will be out of every single activity that is directly linked with Tsukino Talent Production for two months, no interviews, no photoshoots, no concerts, nothing.”

“Tsukino-san, excuse me, but I don’t think that that will help SolidS at all!” Shiki immediately claims, the man even stands up from his seat as the decision has caused him a huge impact.

“Of course, if Hiwatari Association requests any of those activities to be performed by you, alone or with SolidS, we will agree as it is part of the contract you have with that company right now.”

The president does not even pay attention to Shiki’s complain, he moves ahead with his explanation and keeps a serious expression. The man continues by taking out a series of papers, checking some of them and then putting them on his desk.

“I have the official message that was released to the press by Hiwatari Association,” the old man states, “as we do not have any better view of the events, we will support it and keep going with what they said, alright?”

“Understood,” Dai is the only one that replies.

“Moreover, you may have to face some interviews about the issue, I expect you to provide a better response or at least a more convincing statement to the journalist,” Tsukino Mikoto expresses.

“Yes, sir.”

“Dai-kun, you may leave now, I will stay with Shiki-kun a bit more.”

Dai bows and leaves the office in complete silence, while Shiki stares at a dead point in complete disbelief of what has happened. The leader knew that there were going to be consequences, that the president would not go easy on the actions that took place, but he would have never thought about two months of suspension.

“Shiki-kun, you know that this is something without a precedent in our company, right?”

Mikoto mentions as he tries to look for the best way to approach Shiki and get him to understand his decision.

“I know, but, taking Dai away for two months… we were supposed to come back all together under Tsukino Production, not because of Hiwatari Association’s request, which as far as I know the concert they want us to perform is just for the movie soundtrack, not for SolidS’ real side!”

Shiki runs a hand through his hair regretting the way he has spoken; he should be careful as his unit can keep receiving more sanctions.

“And that is why I will not announce my decision to the public” the president states “nevertheless, I will communicate this in the leaders meeting that we have this week.”

“What is the benefit of not giving a public announcement?” Shiki questions, he is confused and tired and so he needs the president to be as clear as possible.

“The benefit is, Shiki-kun, if you as a leader can get the unit back together, and I don’t mean having the four of you on stage and just sing and dance, but having the four of you understanding and supporting each other as usual, then Dai-kun will be able to come back sooner.”

A mischievous look is given by the president, Shiki looks shocked at the him, the words getting stuck on his throat.

“I’m not a silly man, Shiki-kun, I know that there is something more going on, something that is destroying our strong, but sensitive Dai-kun,” the man states with a kind smile on his face, “that’s why I cannot have Dai-kun back to work until that situation is solved.”

“We don’t… I mean I know we are not in our best condition right now, but…”

“Shiki-kun, SolidS is one of the most successful units, I do not want to lose it, nor I don’t believe the fans want to lose SolidS,” the president interrupts, “nevertheless, I’m more than sure that no one wants a half-assed SolidS, am I right?”

Shiki nods, “I don’t want SolidS to end… I’m aware last time we talked you told me I would know when it would be the time to say that it is the end, but I don’t want that moment to come.”

“This will be a hard test for SolidS,” the older man states.

“We will overcome it,” Shiki replies full of conviction, he cannot keep tolerating any further fail.

“Then, I guess we do not have anything else to talk about for today, I’ll see you on the leaders meeting and I hope you can bring me some good news by then.”

Shiki stands up and bows to the president, there is no need to say anything else, he has a clear view on how to proceed with SolidS and get them back on track. The purple haired man goes out of the office and sees as Haizuki is there waiting for him.

“Didn’t you go with Dai?”

“He told me he wanted to walk and that he would take a taxi if necessary,” the bespectacled man replies, “when I saw him I thought it will be the best, and I just asked him to message me when he gets to Hino-san’s place.”

“I see, guess he needs to clear his mind too,” the leader expresses and sighs, he needs to talk with the younger member, but he will wait until tomorrow during the recording of the songs, “anyways, let’s go, I need to talk with Tsubasa and Rikka.”

*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*

The pink haired man pays the taxi driver and gets off the vehicle. He looks at the building in front of him, without a doubt Takato has chosen an expensive place to live and enjoy his recent fame.

Fame that might end after this, why is he feeling guilty for such possible consequence?

He brushes off the thought and goes inside the building, he presses the intercom’s button for Takato’s apartment. The beeping sound is quickly replaced by the man’s voice.

“Yes, Kinomiya here.”

“It’s me, may I come in”

“My favorite pinky, just wait a moment,” the man says and the lock on the main gate is opened.

Rikka takes a deep breath before going in. He has to make sure that this is the last time that he will see Takato and avoid getting the unit into more troubles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... it seems like drama may be over soon, but there is always the chance for more, right?  
What do you think it might happen next? ~~~~~~~~  
Again, thank you, please stay safe, stay healthy. take care of yourself and enjoy every day in the best possible way <3


	23. Chapter 23

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One wrong move can make possible that the leader takes the hardest decision without hesitation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This freaking day was so long in this fic XDDDD   
I thought it was never going to end, but finally... in the next chapter we are moving to a different day...  
Also, the movie production as I've been imagining this fic started practically during Dai's bday week... poor boy hahahaha... so you can have a better idea of the time especially since there is a mentioned about months/time on this chapter...

**Chapter 23:**

Instead of knocking the door, Rikka decides to send a message to Takato to let him know that he is at the door waiting. The pink haired looks around, no one from the other apartments seems to be closed, but it would be better if the man could hurry up and open the door.

When he is about to knock, the lock on the door clicks and Kinomiya is finally standing in front of him. The man’s lip is still swollen and Rikka can notice that the same is happening to the right eye, how many times did Dai hit Takato? Rikka wonders, he was too shocked to pay attention to those details when the fight happened.

“My favorite pinky, how are you?”

Rikka comes out of his thinking and rolls his eyes, is this guy really going to act as if nothing had happened? He takes a deep breath and tries to control his anger.

“Let’s skip the playful nicknames and talk about what really matters, alright?” the smaller man expresses and Takato invites him to come in.

Both walk to the living room, Rikka observes that there is a bottle of alcohol on the table and a box of cigarettes. So, Takato is not taking the situation in a good way either. The green haired man indicates Rikka to take a seat and so he does; he waits for a moment to see if Kinomiya is willing to take this seriously, but when he sees him drinking another shot, Rikka knows that there is no point in waiting.

“This will be our last time seeing each other, and as I told you, it’s because I want to know it, please tell me, what did you say to Dai?”

Takato grunts at the mention of the name and lights up a cigarette to prevent himself of showing his real anger as he keeps himself busy.

“Is that all you care for? Even though that guy didn’t even hesitate when breaking up with you,” Kinomiya replies and lets the smoke out, “Define your emotions and priorities first, Rikka.”

“My priority is SolidS, Shiki, Tsubasa, and yes, even Dai, what happened today will damage the unit, and I cannot take any chances nor risks” the pink haired man expresses without hesitation, “you know? I was truly convinced that you have changed, but after today, you are just the same.”

The man laughs and it unsettles Rikka.

“Just the same? And what kind of person are you? Have you realized that you were, in fact, just using me? Have you thought about the hell I’m going through right now? I’m losing contracts and opportunities!” the man screams out loud, “but no, you are not thinking about it, because now that I’m a danger for your unit you come here to throw me away!

Rikka swallows hard, it is not like that, he honestly wanted to keep Takato in his life, not treating him like a replacement. He is also aware of the situation that Kinomiya is going through, but in this case, he cannot support the two parties that are involved. He has to support SolidS, for himself, for his friends, because he knows it is the right thing to do.

“I can’t keep seeing you, not after what happened today,” the pink haired man states, “if you wouldn’t have treated Dai the way you did, if you wouldn’t have caused that stupid fight… then…”

“Then, what? Best friends? Just friends? Drinking buddies? Fuck buddies? Be honest Rikka, your biggest wish is to go back with that guy Murase, am I right?”

Rikka feels as he has been stabbed right in his heart. He does not want to admit it out loud, he will not say the words.

“You told me to set up my priorities and I did, SolidS is my biggest priority, now tell me, what did you say to Dai?!”

Kinomiya looks with anger at the pink haired man, he is truly hurt by how things turn out to be, even more knowing that he caused his own defeat.

“Why do you need to know it? Do you want to satisfy your need to feel loved, to be needed? To know that you are the center of attention?

“Stop! You don’t have the right to treat me like this!” Rikka snaps and stands up.

“But you do have the right to demand me to tell you everything you need and to then throw me away from your life, right?”

There is silence, Rikka would have never imagined that the encounter that he wanted to be the last with Kinomiya could be so painful.

*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*

Even though he would have wished to keep walking, he knows there is no point on it and mostly because it would not be fair to call his sister too late. Therefore, Dai has decided to take a taxi and get to Hino’s apartment.

Once there, he is thankful that there is no sign of paparazzi around, he sighs and drags his feet to the main gate; the young man presses the button for the intercom and waits for Hino’s voice.

“Hi there!” the female voice greets.

“Hello, it’s me,” Dai speaks hoping that she can recognize him just like that.

“Oh, come, come, you should have texted me!” she expresses as she hurriedly presses the button to let him in the building.

Dai smiles, from all people, it seems that Hino is the only one who is not mad at him for today’s chaos. The man takes the elevator, his sister has asked him to wait thirty minutes to get there, thus it will be better to be inside the apartment and not immediately going to the back part of the building. When he reaches the floor, he gets surprised by seeing that Hino is waiting for him.

“Something wrong?” he asks a bit worried, after today he can expect bad news at any time.

“No, no, I just didn’t want you to wait for me to open the door, that’s it,” she replies and allows him to go in.

The girl looks around to make sure that no one has seen the interaction between them and then she follows Dai. Even though, she is too curious to know what happened at the meeting, she will not ask, the woman will wait to see if Dai wants to talk and inform her by his own will.

“Want to drink or eat something while you wait?” Gou asks, she is sure that Dai will reject the offer just like yesterday, but to her surprise there is a change.

“May I have some water?” the man shyly asks.

“Of course, one moment,” she replies and walks to her kitchen.

“I… I had a suspension from my agency,” Dai says, in a normal day, having control of himself he would not say this to Hino, but he needs to talk, “I’ll be out of activities for two months.”

He can hear as the glass is dropped and it breaks, the water spilling through the floor.

“Gou, are you alright?” Dai asks alarmed and wait for a reply.

“I’m alright, I’m alright… just… two months? Why? It does not make any sense!”

Before given an answer, Dai goes to the kitchen and sees as Gou tries to avoid stepping on the glass as she is not wearing shoes. The man quickly looks for something to pick up the pieces of glass and clean the liquid to help the girl.

“Sorry, sorry, I normally don’t wear shoes at home, I’m such an idiot!”

“It’s alright, it wouldn’t be good if you get hurt… and… just see this as a small way to thank you for the help.”

The man says with a tiny smile on his face, Gou feels as her heart skips a beat; and mentally, she slaps herself for still having feelings towards Dai.

“No need to thank, I’m the one who started the mess, I’m the one who has to fix it,” she says after a while, “if there’s anything I can do so your company…”

“It’s alright, it’s what I deserve, you said you started the mess, but today’s chaos is my entire responsibility,” Dai interrupts her and explains as he finishes cleaning the floor.

The girl looks at him, she wants to say more, to console him in a better way. However, the words don’t come to her, it’s like Shiki has told her, love is hard. Gou does not want to show herself too vulnerable with Dai, she wants to seem to be a strong woman, someone who is decided to help him, but at times like this, when she can clearly see how devastated Dai is, she just wants to cry with him. Nevertheless, she takes a deep breath and tries to speak with her heart.

“I believe it’s not your entire responsibility… that guy was clearly trying to push you to the limit and…”

Before she could keep going, Dai’s cellphone starts ringing, his sister is already there.

“I’m sorry, she got earlier than expected.”

“No need to apologize, but you forgot to bring stuff to cover yourself again, let me see what I can kind, alright?”

Dai nods, he wonders if there could be anything else that he can wear as the girl has already given her the biggest outfit she could own.

*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*

“That’s what I told him, after that he blew the first hit,” Kinomiya ends the explanation that Rikka was looking for.

The pink haired man feels so confused, a part of him is overjoyed by knowing that he was right, Dai would have never been capable of causing such riot for nothing. Nonetheless, on the other hand, he has confirmed that he cannot longer see Takato, never again.

“Thank you,” Rikka whispers the words and starts standing up, “I know I have already said it, but… this is the last time that we can be together.”

He expresses and starts making his way to the exit, there is no need to stay, no need to exchange any further words. In the middle of all the discussion they have offended each other, they have said stuff they didn’t want to, but the situation made them act like that. Rikka gets to the door and opens it, but once he is stepping out of the apartment, Takato grabs him by his forearm.

“Wait!!!! Please, wait!” the man screams and his voice echoes through all the hall.

“Just let me go! We cannot… it’s the best for us!” Rikka replies with tears going down his cheeks.

“Rikka, don’t do this to us… please… we can have another chance, please… don’t leave!” the man keeps yelling desperately, he does not longer care about neighbors nor making a scene, he needs to keep Rikka in his life.

*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*

Again, Hino has gotten him some stuff to hide his face, glasses and a hat, it’s fortunate that the girl is in the middle of the fashion industry she has a huge variety of accessories. Accessories which luckily can also be worn by a man like him without a problem.

“I need to remember to bring something next time and to bring your stuff back,” Dai says as he puts on the glasses and the hat.

“It’s alright, you can even keep them if you like them,” Gou replies and intends to speak some more; nevertheless, the sudden screaming coming from the hall catches their attention.

“Is someone in problems?” Dai wonders and as he sees the girl shrugging, he starts moving towards the apartment’s door.

When the man opens the door, it is evident that someone is having an argument, a voice that is way too familiar for him, but he does not want to admit it. This is not the way he wants to end this awful day.

“Stay a bit longer, please, let’s talk!”

Dai’s heart skips a beat, he does not want to see the people out there, but it’s too late he has opened the door, and so, he looks to his left and there he sees them, Rikka and Kinomiya.

“Dai, what is it?”

The taller man does not reply, instead he looks to his left once again and sees as Takato has Rikka against the wall and kisses him.

Dai feels as the last pieces of his world have crashed, Rikka is with Takato even after what happened today.

“I have to go, see you tomorrow,” the light blue haired man says and storms out of the place.

“Dai!!! What is it???” Hino calls him out, but the man is already taking the elevator, just what did he see?

“Dai!!!” another hoarse voice screams which surprises Hino, “this cannot be possible, this… this is your fault!” Rikka screams at Takato and pushes him away.

“Rikka, please wait!” the man insists and grabs the pink haired man’s hand again.

Nevertheless, this time the smaller man does not show any weakness, he slaps Takato and keeps walking. Hino looks confused at the scene, since when this guy lives in that building? But most importantly, why is Rikka here? She wonders as she tries to take in all the events that have happened in such short time.

Gou suddenly snaps out of her thoughts as she sees that Rikka is running to the elevator, getting to the conclusion that the man will chase after Dai and believing that that will not be the best option at this moment, Hino goes after Rikka.

“Sera-san, please wait,” she expresses as she hurries to stop the elevator.

“What? What do you want? I don’t have time for this, I need to talk to Dai now!”

“By now, he must be leaving with his sister, there is no point in you chasing after him, so can we have a talk?”

“Not now, if it is true and he is gone, I need to go back to the dorms.”

The man replies and pushes the button to close the elevator’s door, Hino gets to move away just in time.

“Damn it!” she screams and looks back at where Takato is still standing, “don’t you know the rules in this building? No scenes in the halls, there are a lot of people who work in the entertainment business here and we don’t like that kind of stuff.”

“Says the person who is in the middle of a fake relationship to gain all the possible attention,” the man expresses as he turns around and goes straight to his apartment.

The woman is more than willing to go after Kinomiya and gives him another slap, after all he deserves it. Knowing that there is no point on any of her plans, she goes inside of her apartment and texts Dai.

‘_I’m sorry for what you saw, if you need to talk, you can text me._’

She receives a reply a couple of seconds later.

‘_It’s alright, don’t worry, see you tomorrow._’

Hino wants to text back, to state that she clearly knows that he is not alright, but she cannot be that pushy. Hopefully she will have the time to talk with Sera tomorrow and in that way, she can help those two to solve their problems.

*°*°*°*°*°*°**°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*

All the tiredness he has been feeling disappears, he needs to practically run out of that building and leave. His heart is speeding up so awfully fast that he is afraid that it can stop at any moment.

“This is no time to break down, Dai, keep yourself together,” the man tells himself when he is out of the elevator and starts walking to the back part of the building.

He hurries to find his sister’s car, it should be at the same place from yesterday, but he cannot even remember where it was. When he is about to call her to see where she is, he listens to her calling him, she is closer than expected and so Dai runs to the car.

“Are you alright? I know it has not been a good day for you, but Dai-chan, what is going on?” Aya asks him, she cannot even hide how worried she feels for her brother.

“Just… let’s go please.” Dai begs to her.

“Ok, ok, let’s go,” she replies as she starts on the engine of the car, but then through the rearview mirror she sees as Rikka comes out of the building running, “isn’t that Sera-san?”

“Aya-nee… let’s go, I’ll try to explain you when we get home.”

The older sister nods and keeps their way, she feels guilty and an awful pain in her heart as she sees that Sera actually tries to go after them. Aya looks by the corner of her eye at his brother and sees him texting someone, the girl takes a deep breath, this is not the Dai she knows.

“You need to talk to get better, Dai-chan.”

She tells him, but the man just takes a deep breath and then exhales, as of right now, Dai will not let any of his feelings out.

*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*

“Dai!” Rikka says as he sees the man leaving.

He knows he will not be able to catch them, not by simply walking after them; but still he unconsciously starts going after the car, reaching out with his right hand, begging that the car can stop for at least a second. Nonetheless, when the car turns to the left side and takes the main street, he stops walking.

“There’s no point… damn it!” he yells as he hits the wall with his fist.

Just how unlucky could they be to run into each other at that moment? He was trying to clarify all the points, trying to put an end to a relationship that is taking SolidS to the edge, but it didn’t work. Dai has seen him kissing Kinomiya, a kiss that he could have rejected, but he didn’t do anything to avoid it. Rikka lightly touches his lips with his left hand, if he could have stopped that action, if he could just have left Takato’s apartment when he wanted.

His thoughts are interrupted when he listens to his cellphone ringing, if this is Takato calling him, he will make clear that there is nothing left between them. Nevertheless, the caller ID is one that he didn’t expect, nor wanted to see, Shiki.

Rikka doubts about answering, what is he going to tell Shiki?

“Hello?” he says as he has accepted the call.

“Rikka, are you coming back already? I need to talk to you and Tsubasa,” the leader questions him.

The pink haired man hesitates his answer. Right now, what he wants is to go after Dai, to talk to him, but he does not even know Aya’s address. Trying to put some kind of order to his thoughts and before Shiki gets to be more suspicious about his behavior, he proceeds to talk.

“Yes, yes, I’m going back, I just need to take a taxi and that’s it, I’ll be there as soon as possible.”

“Rikka, are you alright?” Shiki asks him, his voice makes clear that he will not accept any kind of lie.

“No,” he simply states and without giving a chance to Shiki to ask anything else he continues, “I’m not alright, I’ll talk to you once I get to the dorms,” he says and hangs up the phone.

Walking towards the main street he takes a taxi and hopes that the ride back home can be long enough to think about what he needs to say.

*°*°°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*

Shiki stares at his phone, he had previously received a message from Tsubasa telling him that he was worried as Rikka has taken a long time to come back. Therefore, Shiki has decided to call the pink haired man to see what was going on. However, he never thought that such a short conversation could give him an awful feeling of anxiety.

“Damn!” he curses under his breath as he waits for the elevator.

“Shiki?”

The familiar voice makes him turn around, Shu, what a bad timing to have an encounter with his friend.

“I’m sorry, I saw some news about what happened… how are you feeling?” QUELL’s leader expresses with complete honesty as the elevator’s door get opened and both men go in.

“Trying to pick up the pieces of my unit,” Shiki replies once they are going up, he wishes he would have not sounded so lost, but after talking with Rikka he feels that he is back in a dark hole.

“Is it that bad?” Shu questions him, and Shiki nods, “if there is anything, I can help you with…”

“I don’t think that can be possible,” the purple haired man hurries to reply, “the problems…ah forget it, I appreciate the offer, but we have to solve this as SolidS.”

Shu sighs, “maybe right now you can’t see me or any other leader as someone you can trust, but Shiki, we are here to help you, alright?”

The older man nods, but seriously how would be possible for the other leaders to help him? None of them have had a situation like the one that SolidS is going through in this moment.

“I’ll take the offer into account, thank you, Shu,” Shiki says as he sees that they have reached QUELL’s floor.

“I hope you do, good night.”

“Good night.”

The man says and presses the button to close the elevator’s door, he checks his cellphone one more time, it has been less than five minutes since he called Rikka. He sighs, the only thing he can do right now is get to the dorm, drink something and wait for the pink haired man to come and have the talk they need.

“I’m back,” Shiki announces when he gets to the dorm.

“Thanks heaven you’re back, what happened? Did you talk to Rikka?” Tsubasa comes out of his room to welcome the leader.

“Yes, something happened, Rikka was not feeling alright,” the man replies without hesitation.

“I’m sure of that, Aya-nee also called me and said that Dai was not in the best condition, I thought it was obvious for all the stuff that happened, but she mentioned that Rikka was in Hino’s building.”

Shiki runs a hand through his hair, hundred of scenarios playing in his mind about what could have possibly happened there.

“Wasn’t he with Kinomiya?”

Tsubasa shrugs, he is no longer sure about what the events were.

Time goes by and finally they listen to the door being opened again, a weak voice lets them know that Rikka is back and they patiently wait in the living room. The pink haired man comes in, he is looking down and he seems devastated.

“I promised to be honest from now and on… so… I blew it… I didn’t know Kinomiya and Hino were neighbors,” he says, he does not wait for Shiki nor Tsubasa to makes the questions, “Dai saw when Kinomiya was kissing me, I made his day even worst.”

Shiki and Tsubasa stay in silence, they wait to see if there is anything else that Rikka needs to say, but the pink haired man simply takes a seat and puts his head on his hands. After a while, Shiki sighs, looking at how things are going SolidS will take longer to come back.

“Dai has been suspended for two months,” he suddenly speaks up getting his partners’ attention, “but I believe he is not the only one who deserve such suspension, I will announce in the leaders’ meeting that we are going on a hiatus.”

“Shiki!”

“Hiatus…”

“Until we can fix all this personal mess we are not going on stage, that’s my final decision,” the leader expresses, “we will go ahead and follow the last request we have from Hiwatari Association, but by the end of June, SolidS will be out indefinably.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: Little sis believe that Hino is the one that must stay with Dai now XDD   
She says that Hino has proved to be a great character now and I'm confused LOL  
That's one of the reasons why it took me longer to get this chapter done...  
Also, I'm sad my daily dosis of drama ended so I may lose my dramatic touch for this fic, but I was so terribly disappointed on how that soap opera ended... like please kill me, I wasted practically 2 years of my life watching that damn soap opera XDD  
Anyway, hope you have enjoyed the chapter!  
Take care and stay healthy!!!!


	24. Chapter 24

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hiatus is something that none of SolidS member would have taught they could have experience, but it's becoming more and more real. Meanwhile, Dai keeps debating about his feelings and about the best way to solve every wrong decision he has made.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gosh!!!! This was hard to write... I think the last day in the fic has been longer than any other fic I have ever written about in my life.... poor guys ....   
Anyways, as usual, thank you so much for reading the fic, I hope you enjoy today's chapter!

**Chapter 24**:

Hiatus, the word does not stop going through Rikka’s mind. He has gotten to an easy conclusion, SolidS’ hiatus is his fault, no doubt about it.

Rikka looks at his phone, would it be appropriate to call Dai at this time and talk to him?

“He… he is probably sleeping, it was an awful day for him… and I contributed to that,” the man whispers as he throws his cellphone away.

Rikka stands up, it’s midnight and he has not been able to sleep at all. Therefore, he needs something that can help him to at least rest for a couple of hours, since they have the recording of the new songs during the morning. Moreover, and being more than obvious, he is not the only one who is not able to sleep, Shiki is in the kitchen, drinking some coffee and looking at an empty space.

“Shiki?” Rikka calls him out, “working or…?” he trails off, he does not know if the leader would like to talk to him, but still he tries it.

“Tsubasa is too mad with me for the decision, so I came here to think a bit more, that’s it,” the man replies and drinks a bit more from his cup, “are you angry with the decision?”

“I think I don’t have the right to be angry,” Rikka replies with a wry smile.

Shiki looks at him and sighs.

“We all make mistakes, Rikka.”

The pink haired man tenses, so Shiki also considers that all of this is his fault.

“It might be necessary for all of us to take a break, or maybe once we are all apart, we can realize if it is true that we really need SolidS.”

“Are you having doubts?” Rikka questions with surprised in his eyes.

“Never, I know how much I love this unit, but I cannot force any of you to stay,” Shiki replies and stands up, “I believe you came to have some tea, right?”

Rikka nods and sees as Shiki starts preparing the tea for him.

“Shiki,” the pink haired man calls him out with a shaky voice, “I’ve never had doubts either, once we became a unit, I knew this was everything for me.”

The leader smiles, he knows that that is the feeling they share. Nevertheless, Shiki must be sure that after all the obstacles they had faced during the last month and a half they can come back together and be even stronger.

“Hino… she wants to have a conversation with me,” Rikka keeps with the conversation.

“And what do you want?”

“Ignore her, but… I know it will not be the best decision, I didn’t want to listen to Dai, and we know how it went.”

Shiki places the cup of tea in front of Rikka and pours some more coffee into his cup.

“Taking again my roles, as the leader and your friend, I believe that you should really talk with her,” the older man expresses as he enjoys his coffee, “I believe your mind is still going on about the idea of what Hino and Dai could have done, or…”

“Not really, during the photoshoot, I realized that Hino has changed, that Dai was true to his word and that I was the one who made drama for nothing, or at least I made a bigger mess for something that could have been solved in an easy way.”

Rikka feels as the tears are forming in his eyes, it was true, during that day he has given him the time to observe the situation. He had been willing to perceive every single detail that could tell him that he was right, that Hino was a real danger, but all he had was that the girl has actually changed. All he could see was that his jealousy ruined the relationship that he used to have with Dai. Rikka takes a deep breath, and then sighs.

“How could she change so suddenly?” Rikka wonders out loud, cleaning his tears and drinking some tea to stop the crying.

“She does have feelings for Dai, she just changed the way to show them,” Shiki expresses and sees the shocked reaction from Rikka and so he continues, “I talked to her, and that’s why I consider you also need to talk to Hino.”

“If… if things get to be solved, are we still going to be on hiatus?” Rikka asks, but he does not look at Shiki, “I just don’t want to go back to an empty apartment.”

The leader sighs, it’s hard to have an idea of what is going to happen, on how SolidS is going to keep working after this.

“I shared opinion with the president on this, if we go back to the SolidS we used to be, or even a better version of SolidS, there is no need for a hiatus,” he replies.

The pink haired man nods and drinks more of his beverage, he already knows it is going to be a long night as he will try to find the way to solve this mess from his end.

“Don’t torture yourself,” Shiki suddenly tells him, “try to go little by little, I believe the best will be to leave your conversation with Dai at the end.”

“You really think so?” Rikka asks him.

“He saw you kissing Kinomiya, how do you think he feels right now?” the leader answers and sees how his response breaks Rikka, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I should have thought in a better way to say it.”

“You still have a very good point,” the younger replies as he cleans the upcoming tears, “I better go to my room to try to sleep, I have a full schedule.”

“Please, try to have some rest, see you.”

“Good night, Shiki.”

*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*

She is not sure if this can be of any help, but she has to try it. Aya has waken up early, not to go for a run nor to get extra time to get ready to go to work; not at all, she has started her day earlier than usual to get a special breakfast for Dai.

Being honest, the last time she did this was probably when Dai was still in high school and she was still living at their parents’ place. Therefore, there is a little bit of insecurity in her wondering if this will be the best. When she checks the clock on the wall and sees that is 6:30am and she has not even heard a sound coming from Dai’s room, Aya knows that she has to go and wake him up.

The woman walks through the humble apartment to the extra room that was suddenly set up for her younger brother, she knocks on the door first and since there is no response, she proceeds to open. Dai is still sleeping, judging by the fact that the man didn’t even change his clothes, he must have fallen slept later than usual and not because he wanted to sleep.

“Dai-chan, come on, time to wake up,” she says with a gentle voice and getting closer to him, the younger sibling grunts and turns around, “come on, Dai-chan, you have a lot of work today.”

The mention of the word ‘work’ triggers the man as he opens his eyes immediately. Last night after he had gotten to the apartment, he received a last-minute message from Haiduki. Instead of the song recording he will have two interviews during that day, both to talk about the movie and the event from yesterday.

“I’m awake,” he says, his voice low and hoarse, “sorry, what time is it?”

“6:35, come, I made you breakfast,” Aya replies and ruffles Dai’s hair, “Come, we have to be at Hino’s apartment at 8:00, so hurry up.”

The younger brother does not even responds, he first tries to deal with his body since it feels heavier than usual; of course, he probably slept less than three hours as he started thinking in the best way to apologize to his fans and all people involved in the incident. How is he supposed to survive the whole day? He gets up, it’s better if he does not start thinking about all the issues or he will waste the little energy he has, as Dai walks to the kitchen he can distinguish a familiar smell.

“Fluffy chocolate pancakes?” he wonders and sees the huge smile on Aya’s face.

“You still remember them!” the older sister happily exclaims.

“You used to cook them whenever I had a bad day to make me smile,” Dai says showing a tiny smile on his face.

“And it still works, now take a seat and eat,” she instructs him as she starts serving the breakfast.

“You’re not gonna ask me what happened?”

“Dai… I’ve been trying to make you talk, but right now I will just wait until you really want to do it, either about the incident, about Hino-san, or about you and Sera-san, I’ll wait until you want to talk.”

Aya replies and after placing the last dish on the table she ruffles once again Dai’s hair and then she takes a seat.

“I don’t think there’s a lot to talk about me and Rikka… that’s completely over.”

“You said that, but I don’t think so.”

“Aya-nee…” Dai wants to complain, but his sister stops him.

“Listen, no man on Earth will try to chase a car for a person that he does not love… just try to look the right moment to talk to him, in case that you really want the relationship back, if not to try to have a nice working environment with him.”

She expresses and makes a gesture, so his brother starts to eat.

“I don’t even know what I want now.”

Dai says, after seeing that Rikka was kissing Kinomiya his heart is numb, he does not know what to do and how to act. Moreover, he is conscious that now the most urgent matter he needs to solve is about yesterday’s events.

“Give yourself sometime,” Aya whispers and doing her best to keep his brother away from sad or negative thoughts she let out an idea that has been tempting her, “what about if you and I go on a trip? You know, some vacation time!”

“Aya-nee…”

“Ask Haiduki-san, it might be possible, you are out of activities with Tsukino and the movie stuff will be over soon!”

Dai does not seem too convinced about it, he has caused a lot of troubles to Tsukino Production and coming to ask for some free time might not be the greatest action to perform. Nevertheless, seeing that his sister is totally eager with the idea he accepts asking to the manager, but he also requests her not to get too hopeful on the idea.

“We are going to Australia!” she exclaims with a smile on her face and when she looks at how serious Dai is, she quickly adds a conclusion, “if you get the permission.”

The younger brother sighs, his sister is usually serious and collected, but whenever she feels the need to make him feel better, Aya can go beyond the limits. When breakfast time is over, both get ready to leave the apartment just in time so there is no delay on the schedule.

*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*

The recording session for Tsubasa has gone great, the blonde man feels a bit more calmed, but still he has not accepted Shiki’s decision and he is still trying to make him change his mind. As they wait for Rikka to come and record his part, Tsubasa keeps insisting that what happened will not cause major issues to SolidS.

“If I say that I will reconsider our hiatus after Dai’s interviews, would you shut up?” Shiki finally gives in feeling too tired of the same conversation.

The leader did not have any sleep since he had to be at the studio at 7:00am, or that’s what he thought. In the middle of the night and after his conversation with Rikka, Shiki got himself busy with some song writing; forgetting to check his cellphone and thus not knowing that Dai’ schedule has changed for that day he came earlier than what he should have.

“That does not give me a lot of hopes, but for now I’ll take it,” Tsubasa replies.

“So, you don’t trust Dai?”

“I trust Dai-chan, but in this situation, I don’t trust you,” the blonde man clarifies, “because, come on, what kind of leader will decide a hiatus for all his unit without consulting the members first?”

Tsubasa exclaims as he dramatically throws his arms up. Shiki sighs, there is no way that the younger man will stop his complains.

“Listen, it’s not only Dai, it’s also Rikka, it’s also the fans’ opinion, it’s also the way in which we have handled this,” Shiki is now at the edge, a whole morning of the same speech will drive anyone crazy, “when I was going to the dorm yesterday, I was really hopeful, thinking about that a good and long conversation with all of us will fix the issue, but then…”

“Rikka kissed Kinomiya and Dai-chan saw him… yeah, I understand you, but… we cannot accept this, at this point I’m willing to lock them in a room until they talk and solve their problems!”

Shiki laughs at the idea, being honest he does not disagree with it, but at this point is not their best bet.

“Sorry for being late,” the sudden voice makes them stop with any possible comment or idea to try to avoid their hiatus.

“It’s alright, I called you all of a sudden, so I wouldn’t demand you to be on time for such change,” Shiki tells Rikka.

“What exactly happened?” the pink haired man asks as he puts his stuff on a chair.

The leader was not really clear on his message as he only requested Rikka to come to the studio earlier than their original agreement.

“We had a change, Dai is gonna be at two interviews today, so he will come with Hino tomorrow,” Shiki explains, “It was a sudden change, but Hiwatari Association demanded to follow the request.”

“And since Dai-chan is now Hiwatari Association’s dog we couldn’t do anything, right?” Tsubasa complains about that again, it seems for him that Dai belongs now to that other company instead of Tsukino.

Shiki sighs, even if Tsubasa has expressed that he is no longer angry at him, the blonde man is sure giving his best at making him have a hard time. The leader runs a hand through his hair.

“I told you, he has been suspended for two months, and anything that Hiwatari Association requests it has to be followed, that’s on his contract.”

Tsubasa rolls his eyes, he does not care about contracts or suspensions, Tsukino Production is still Dai’s agency and should be taking more care of the situation.

“Anyways, Rikka, are you ready? Rikka?”

“Yes, yes, I’m sorry…just, the whole thing is still hard to swallow.”

Shiki nods, he does not want to speak much about the situation, any little comment could provoke Tsubasa or make Rikka feel guilty. Therefore, the leader indicates to Rikka the first song that they will be working on and asks him to go inside the recording booth while he prepares the tracks for the recordings.

“You are not gonna mention to him the vacation request for Dai?” Tsubasa asks him, that morning he has received a message from Aya asking him how to proceed with that petition for Dai.

“Being honest, right now he will take it way too personal, I need him to be calmed and focused on the recording,” Shiki replies and then turns on the intercom, “are you ready?”

“Ready!” Rikka replies trying to pretend to be enthusiastic and in the best form to record.

Shiki then turns off the audio from his end and starts the first track, Tsubasa silently looks as he can perceive how different the pink haired man looks from any previous recording.

“This might take a while, you can go back to the dorms,” Shiki tells him as he knows that they will need to go over the first part again.

“I want us to be together, Shiki, I wish Dai-chan could be here, but…”

“Fine, stay if you want,” the leader replies and hopes that Rikka does not tense up even more when he stops the music, “Rikka, sorry, but we need to repeat the first part.”

The pink haired man nods, he was practically certain that he did wrong. Even worst, Rikka has plenty of knowledge to recognize that he will be stuck in the recording booth for a long while. He cannot keep focused, he was hoping he could talk to Hino; he needs to start trying to redeem himself, thus one of the first things he needs to do is talking with the actress and apologize for his mistakes. Rikka takes a deep breath, today it was not possible to take care of that, but he will make sure to do it as soon as he can.

“I’m ready!” he announces but does not look at where Shiki and Tsubasa are, he does not need them to notice the wreckage he is.

“Ok, from the top, go,” Shiki instructs, and the track starts again.

*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°°*°*°*°*°*°*°

They have gotten to the place for the first interview, Hino has noticed the huge bags under Dai’s eyes, but has not dared to comment about it. The woman has also seen as he has been fighting the sleepiness all morning, but still she has not dared to say a word about it either.

“Make up team will be with you two in five minutes, do you want something to drink or eat?” Suminomiya comes and informs them.

“Green tea for me, please, Da… Murase-san do you want something?” Hino asks him directly as she sees that the man is still spacing out.

“Coffee… any kind would be fine,” he replies after a while.

The manager nods and leaves the room, Gou looks at Dai by the corner of her eyes and takes a deep breath.

“Listen, I’ll be with you, ok? I’ve had a lot of interviews in which I have to give my point of view after a wrong behavior, as a matter of fact if you want to ask me something, just do it, alright?”

Gou quickly realizes that she has spoken more than necessary and stops, this must be pretty difficult for Dai; he has been in the entertainment business for some years, but Dai has never faced a major issue. Hino knows that she has made the environment heavier than before and stays hesitant on how to act.

“Did you ever think about quitting to all of this after a problem?” Dai asks her, he knows he said to Shiki that he wants to stay in SolidS, but that was before seeing Rikka kissing Kinomiya.

“No, and I’m being honest,” the woman replies feeling more relieved by seeing that Dai wants to talk, “it has been difficult, some contracts have been cancelled, some other celebrities will request a company to take me out of the promotion… but it always ends.”

“It’s not a permanent issue…” Dai whispers and hunches down.

“Even your situation with Sera-san is not permanent, Murase-san…”

“Dai… you can call me Dai,” he says to finally leave that part clear, “let’s stop with the confusion on when we should call each other by our names or last names.”

The sudden interruption and even more Dai’s request leave Hino awestruck, she kindly smiles at the man, she is more than thankful for this gesture. Gou really wishes this could have been the original development of their relationship, but she ruined back then.

“So… would you also call me Gou… all the time?” she nervously asks, she is not sure if this is the way to go, but she wants to try it.

“Yes, so, Gou what do you recommend?”

The woman smiles at seeing Dai’s honest expression, she did the wrong steps to try to get the man’s love, but she might redeem herself to have a nice friendship with Dai.

“First, drink your coffee and allow the make up staff to do as much as they need,” she replies.

“Do I look that bad?”

“Not even in Kyoto you looked like this and I know I caused you a hell while we were there,” she says feeling regretful of the past, “second, be honest, what Kinomiya did was wrong…”

“But I could have had a better response to his actions,” Dai is quick to add, he has been thinking about this all night and the outcome is always the same, he could have been better.

Hino sighs, the way that Dai wants to be responsible for his actions and how conscious he is about them is the biggest problem right now.

“You may be right, but Dai, you are a human being, you cannot simply block your emotions and keep going,” the girl states, hoping she can make him see things differently.

Dai stays in silence for a while, yes, he is a human he has made a lot of mistakes recently and he has not had the time to find a way to fix them. The conversation is about to restart when Suminomiya comes back followed by the make up staff; Dai tenses up, it means that they will be on air soon. Hino looks at him, she smiles at the man and tries to reach Dai’s hand, but maybe that is asking way too much at the moment. Therefore, she only nods and murmurs ‘it will be ok.’

Fifteen minutes later they are taken to the set, there is no audience in the set which makes Dai feels better, but he is more than sure that a big part of SolidS fans are going to be watching the show. They are welcomed by the host and quickly he let them know that the interview main focus is the movie; but of course, they will have to talk about the incident and the picture that was uploaded on internet.

“Understood, but let’s make clear that the movie is our priority,” Gou expresses without hesitation to the host.

“Got it, Hino-san.”

The interview begins, the first questions are easy, they have already had them in other interviews, the premier, the recording in Kyoto, some are about their relationship, but the moment comes. The host makes a comment to close all the topics related to the movie and then he brings the issue to the spotlight.

“Well, we are more than sure that you want your fans to support you; nevertheless since yesterday some of Murase-san’s fans have been shocked for a picture that was uploaded to social networks,” the man expresses as he directs his full attention to Dai, “we have already heard about Hiwatari Association and Tsukino Production’ statement, but what about you, Murase-san?”

Dai takes a deep breath that he hopes is not too noticed, the words are crashing his mind, but he remembers what Hino told him, be honest.

“First of all, I want to give an apology to everyone who has been affected by my actions, to all my fans, to all SolidS fans, to everyone who has ever supported me or the unit, and to all people who have been supporting and waiting for this film, what I did does not have a valid justification.”

The man bows as much as he can in the sitting position he is right now, and while he looks to his lap, he sees that Hino’s hand is closed to his and without thinking it too much, Dai grabs Gou’s hand. As if that has given him the strength he needs, he straights up again to look at the camera.

“Even more, I want to apologize with Kinomiya Takato, it does not matter what was happening, as a professional I should have kept my composure and find a better way to solve the conflict.”

He says it with all honesty, because if Rikka wants to be with that man, he needs to show to Rikka that he is fine with his decision. After the words have been said, the host stays for some seconds in silence, and Gou is the one who takes the lead.

“Dai says there is no valid justification, and it is true, but something important that everyone needs to remember is that we are also humans, normal people who make mistakes,” the actress expresses as she caresses Dai’s hand, “it’s not always easy to have your head focused and think clearly, yesterday Dai had a moment of weakness, heavy schedules and personal issues can cause that, but he is having the braveness and humbleness to apologize in the most sincere manner to everyone and I admire him for this act.”

Gou looks at Dai with a gentle smile and her eyes showing him the support he needs, the man gives a tiny squeeze to the woman’s hand and let out a breath he has been holding.

“I was about to ask a last question about the situation, but this beautiful moment of love and understanding is making me wonder, are there plans for a future wedding?”

The question takes both celebrities by surprise, Dai immediately blushes, and Gou blinks several times. She is the ones that has been leading the lie during all this period, but right now her plan is to try to gradually end the relationship.

“Well, we are getting along pretty well now that we live together, but marriage is a more serious commitment,” she starts speaking, “we have made some fast decisions, but…”

“Marriage requires more thinking, I guess,” Dai adds as he sees that Gou does not know how to continue the statement.

“Yes, more thinking, more time, so not yet,” Hino concludes in the middle of an awkward giggling hoping the host stops with the topic.

“I see but seeing how well you support and complement each other makes me think you will be just fine when getting marriage.”

Both talents give a wry smile and nod, maybe if they don’t respond more about the issue the host will change the topic.

“Anyways, our time is over, what a shame, but one last message for the viewers, please go,” the man says and gives them the chance to speak one last time.

“In my case, I want to apologize one more time, I will keep working and aiming to improve myself, please keep supporting SolidS and of course our movie, ‘Forbidden Desire’.”

“Please support us and thank you so much for having us.”

The host thanks them as well and closes the show. After the recording is done, Gou and Dai thank one more time the staff, but do not stay there for a longer time, they have to move to the following location for the next interview. As they walk out of the studio, Dai comes to the realization that he is still holding Hino’s hand.

“I’m sorry,” he says as he let go of her hand.

“It wasn’t a problem, you know? Plus, we are still in the studio,” she whispers since they need to keep the façade.

“Yes, but my hands are sweating a lot, I…”

“Don’t be so nervous, you did it great and you show yourself in all honesty, alright?”

“Thank you, Gou.”

She smiles again and takes Dai’s hand, not only to pretend, but to show him that she will support him through all of this. Once again, she regrets about the damage she caused, about how the events turned out to be for her behavior.

“After all of this is over,” she starts speaking without looking at Dai, “I hope we can still be friends.”

“We will.”

The response giving by Dai is more than enough for her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm starting to wonder (because of little sis) if getting Dai and Rikka together is the best or if Dai and Gou would be better XD... if you want... comment about your opinion and help me to decide hahaha...  
Also, the part about Dai-chan's being Hiwatari Association's dog comes also from the fact that Umehara keeps saying that he is now his agency's dog... so... it was meant to happen...  
Thank you for reading!!!


	25. Chapter 25

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The recording does not go well and so Tsubasa decides to take Rikka out to help him a bit. On the other hand, Dai has overcome the interviews and gets himself in a fake date with Hino, moment that the girl will take to try to know more about Dai and his relationship with Rikka.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!   
Update time!!!!   
I wanna thank people who left a comment in the last chapter, it was very interesting to see your points of view about the story or about who should stay with Dai at the end of the story.   
We are already in June, which means I have two months left to close this fic in the period that I established, but you know? I sometimes fear that that is not going to be possible hahaha, so let's keep going how far this can go... watch me get the final chapter at chapter 28 or something like that... ok no I don't know...

**Chapter 25:**

The second interview is over, it has been harder than expected as the interviewer went more for the issue with Dai and Kinomiya than about the movie. Even though, Hino has repeated several times that they were not going to keep going about it, the host didn’t stop when he was asked.

“I guess it couldn’t be possible to have two good interviews,” Dai expresses as they go in the car.

“The guy just wanted us to make a bigger mess, but you did great,” Gou replies, she is still fuming about how arrogant the interviewer was.

“Which almost was not your case, Hino-san,” Suminomiya interrupts the conversation, “you were too closed of causing another incident, and that wouldn’t be good for the movie nor any of you two.”

“The guy needed to know his place!!!”

Suminomiya sighs, the girl has always had a strong personality and she does not really care about the language she uses when she gets mad. It is only 3:00pm, but no further commitments were scheduled for that day as the agency did not know how demanding the interviews could be, thus Hino’s manager believes that it would be good to give them a break.

“Since Murase-san did well in the interviews, how about if you go somewhere nice to celebrate?”

“Wait! Why are you saying that only Dai did well???” Hino asks puffing his cheeks and furrowing his brow.

“I’m glad you are back to the Hino-san I’ve always known and because it’s true,” the manager adds looking at her through the rearview mirror, “and also, you two are in a fake relationship that has not been seen since you came back to Tokyo, the movie also needs that kind of promotion.”

Hino looks uncomfortable with the proposal, she is truly in the need of trying to end the relationship as soon as possible, but also it will be too weird if they were to break up with the premier so closed. Meanwhile, Dai notices that Gou seems to be debating too hard on what to decide, he clears his throat and accepts the proposal.

“Dai? But, what about your sister?”

“I’ll text her to come an hour later,” Dai replies, “We can go to Shinjuku Gyoen, we are closed to it.”

“Hino-san, do you agree?” Suminomiya asks so he can take the right road.

“Yes, let’s go there.” Gou replies after a while, telling herself that is only a fake date to try to help the movie to get more popularity before the premiere.

*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*

After giving several tries to the songs, Shiki has decided to postpone Rikka’s part for tomorrow as well. The leader has felt terrible when giving his final decision to the pink haired man, but maybe after getting more rest and finding more peace, Rikka can be in better conditions for the recording.

“You two can go back to the dorms, I need to schedule the studio for tomorrow, and I need to go to the office,” Shiki states as he sees that Rikka and Tsubasa are still waiting for him.

“I’ll wait for you to watch the interviews then,” Tsubasa says, “I need to see your reactions to make sure you are going to make an honest decision, see you.”

“Bye, Shiki, and again, I’m sorry,” Rikka expresses as he leaves the studio with Tsubasa.

“It’s alright, I’m sure you will get it tomorrow,” Shiki replies and mentally curses knowing that tomorrow he will have to deal with Rikka, Dai and Hino in the same studio.

When Tsubasa and Rikka are out of the building, the blonde man realizes that it is still a bit early to go back to the dorms; plus, the tension that they have had when running to any member of any other unit has been awful. Tsubasa is more than sure that at this time they will get to see most of the other idols coming back either from college, or any practice they could have scheduled by Tsukino Production.

“Let’s go for a drink,” the blonde proposes, “I’m sure it will take Shiki at least 4 hours to get everything ready so we can enjoy some time together.”

He proposes, he has made a huge improvement by earning Rikka’s trust again and being able to speak in a friendlier way lately with the pink haired man.

“What kind of decision would Shiki made after watching the interviews?”

Tsubasa is taken aback, he was honestly expecting just a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer, not a question.

“Ah, it’s true, you were not there when Shiki and I were talking,” the younger man says and scratches his head, “I don’t want SolidS to go on hiatus, so I was trying to get Shiki to rethink his decision and he said that it would depend on Dai-chan’s performance during the interviews.”

“All responsibility on Dai? That’s kind of unfair…” Rikka says looking down.

“I don’t believe that Shiki wants to place all responsibility on Dai-chan, I believe it’s more about how well Dai-chan will adapt to whatever comes to him after what happened yesterday.”

Rikka looks up at Tsubasa, hoping that the blonde man can explain himself a bit better. the younger man giggles a bit.

“Dai-chan has never been the center of attention alone, he has been with us all the time, like a real baby brother,” Tsubasa starts saying, “I think Shiki wants to see if he is capable of dealing with this and how mature he can come back to SolidS; otherwise, Shiki knows that Dai-chan will need a break before restarting with us, and being honest I’m sure we all need a break.”

“Even you?” Rikka asks him and the blonde man nods.

“It has been tiring, we all need a pause, but I don’t want it to be a forced hiatus, you know? that’s why I want Shiki to think better about it.” 

The pink haired man seems to be thinking about every single word that Tsubasa has just said. It might be true that the leader wants to see how much Dai can grow from this experience and see how much the younger member will be capable to contribute to the unit.

“I guess… it might be true, but I feel that Dai is not the only one who needs to grow from all of this,” Rikka deduces after a while mainly focusing on the part about Dai.

“One step at the time,” Tsubasa tells him with a smile on his face, “for now, let’s go, I don’t want to get to the dorms yet, I’m sure more than one of the guys is going to be curious about what is going on.”

He says as he takes Rikka’s hands to start leading their way and find some nice café.

“Tsubasa… thank you, I’ll do my best so we can stay together as SolidS.”

“I know you will!”

The pink haired man smiles back, finding some tranquility in Tsubasa’s words. Today was not a productive day; all his plans were changed, and he felt as if he has failed. Nevertheless, Rikka is now sure that there is time, that Shiki might change the decision and they can keep going on without the need of a hiatus.

*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*

The Shinjuku Gyoen is a beautiful place to go and enjoy a walk during a summer afternoon. Perhaps, in the need of finding some sort of serenity Dai has proposed to come here, even when needed to pretend to be on a date, he hopes that he can calmed his mind after the latest riot.

Although, being two celebrities getting through the main door of the Shinjuku’s entrance might make a bit complicated to find that privacy and calmness. It is easy to see that some teenagers are paying attention to them and even some adults are whispering about their presence over there. Dai sighs, moments like these make him miss the time when he was a normal person.

“You never thought about becoming famous, did you?” Hino suddenly asks him with a tiny smile on her face.

“Never, not even as a swimmer,” he replies as they start their way into the different paths.

“Really? So, you didn’t want to compete in the Olympics or any other major event?” the girl questions him.

“I did think about the Olympics, but I guess that not even like that I thought about becoming famous,” Dai replies and again by impulse he takes Hino’s hand, “let’s go through this path.”

Gou only nods, it’s the first time she sees the man taking the initiative about what to do and where to go while they share time together. Quickly, she notices how Dai has chosen to go through one of the loneliest paths around the park. Most likely, Dai wants to be out of people’s view after today’s interviews; and knowing that so many were watching his statements, he is definitely running away from people in general.

Once that they have reached a spot in which there are no voices that can be heard and the only noise around them comes from the cicadas, the man stops his steps.

“I’m sorry… I suddenly felt as if they were all watching us,” Dai exclaims, “I know we are supposed to get everyone’s attention, but I also need a break.”

“It’s alright, let’s take a seat and enjoy the day,” Gou replies guiding Dai to the bench that is closed to them and immediately tying her hair up, the weather is nice but it’s still too hot for her to stay with her hair down.

Dai looks with curiosity as the girl ties her hair, it reminds him of Rikka when they were getting ready to go for a run or before the dancing practices. He sighs, it has been so long since he did any of those with the pink haired man, and it might take a longer while… if they ever get to at least work together again.

“Why are you feeling sad now? The interviews went well, even Hiwatari-san sent us a message to say everything is better now,” Hino asks him, she shows real concern about what could possibly bother Dai.

“It’s nothing, I…”

“Were you thinking about Sera-san?”

Dai looks back with a shocked expression, and while trying to stop feeling embarrassed he nods.

“You are kind of easy to read, you know? That’s why I’m sure your fans know you are saying the truth when you apologized for what happened.”

The man sighs, “I know, I’ve always been told I’m easy to read by Tsubasa.”

“What about by Sera-san?”

Hino asks, she needs Dai to start talking more openly about his relationship with Rikka, she needs to know more in order to help them fix their relationship.

“Rikka… I…probably there was no need for him to say it, I knew he always understood me… or that’s what I used to think.”

His face changes again, he has been so desperate thinking about how to recover a relationship that he took care of burying. Dai feels that he does not even have the right to feel angry at Rikka or Kinomiya for being in a relationship, he is the one who helped them to get back together. He looks up and sees as some sunlight rays come through the trees’ branches, it is a beautiful sight to try to calm his mind and get lost for a while. His attention comes back to the present when he feels Hino placing her hand over his own.

“I told you, even your relationship with Sera-san can be fixed.”

“Maybe there’s no need to fix it,” he replies, he wants to let go of that stupid hope, not increasing it with stupid illusions and possibilities about going back with Rikka, “anyways, I must be the most boring date ever, let’s walk a bit more.”

“Are you sure?” Hino asks him, being honest the place where they are is nice and even herself might need occasionally some peace.

Dai nods and offer his hand to her once again to walk around. It is summer, the season that he and Rikka use to like to go and exercise, a good excuse to go out together as if they were in a date without getting the wrong kind of attention. He sighs again and wishes he could just focus on the present, without thinking about the past nor the uncertain future.

“You do love Sera-san a lot, don’t you?”

“Please, let’s not talk about him, I… after yesterday I know I have to forget him as a couple, but respect him as my coworker,” his voice breaks a bit and he quickly clears his throat, “I guess it’s better to move on.”

“Is Sera-san your first serious relationship? You know, without counting high school relationships, those are never serious,” Hino continues and suddenly Dai’s hold gets loosed around her hand.

The woman starts feeling that she spoke more than what she should have, but she seriously needs to know as much as she can before speaking with Rikka.

“I… didn’t have any relationship while in high school,” Dai whispers looking away, it has been so long since the last time he thought about his old and non-existent romantic life that he feels way more embarrassed than any time before.

“Well, then in college, you went to college for a while, right?” the girl desperately asks from what she remembers that she has read online about Dai.

“Rikka… he has… he has been my first for everything.”

There is silence, Dai feels as he is about to combust due to embarrassment and Gou does not really know how to react. She did have a feeling that Dai is too innocent but seeing that the man is attractive, she had imagined that at least there should have been someone before Rikka.

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I shouldn’t have asked something that will make you feel so uncomfortable!” Hino says and she also looks away.

Since they are already walking through paths that are more crowded, they are also being observed by most of the people going around the same area. They both have stopped walking and even talking, it’s a weird moment between them; even weirder than their forced dates in Kyoto. Gou can already feel the pressure of people looking at them, what if there is a journalist? They are going to trash them for sure for their awkward atmosphere. She needs to do something, but she cannot kiss Dai, that would be betraying the promise she has made, she cannot place Dai in such an unfortunate position with Rikka, not again.

She is about to face him with a smile on his face and apologize one more time, people cannot really listen to what they say so it does not matter the words that she ends up saying. However, she stops, there is no way she can face Dai after making him feel so uncomfortable, Gou clears her throat and tightly grabs Dai’s hand, the words she is about to say will hurt for sure, but she needs to express them.

“You know, it only means that your relationsh…”

She does not finish her idea, Dai has gently turned her face and kissed her

Everything seems to stop for Hino, what is Dai doing? Why is he kissing her? This should have not happened.

A short, soft and sweet kiss, it stops, and Hino slowly breathes in.

“Don’t…”

“People were staring at us,” Dai quickly adds, he is too shocked for what he has done.

“I hope that’s the real reason,” the girl says placing one of her hands over Dai’s cheek, “I don’t want you to regret about anything else, nor hurt people that care for you and love you, alright?”

“I’m sorry,” the man expresses and lowers his head causing that their foreheads slightly rub against each other.

Hino licks her lips, if they have to give a show, they better do it in the best way.

“I believe it’s better if we go to my apartment and wait for your sister.”

“Yes, it is…”

Dai replies, he walks with his head low and his mind running a thousand thoughts and questions at the time. Gou is capable to see how confused Dai is and she is sure about the right conclusion, the man kissed her out of impulse, not because he loves her. She gives a gentle squeeze to Dai’s hand, to let him know that there is no problem and he should be walking with his chin up.

*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*

Shiki has gotten to the main building that belongs to Tsukino Talent Production, same place he left yesterday having the hope to recover the normality of his unit sooner than expected. Nevertheless, that did not happen and that is the reason why he has come to pick up the documents that need to be fill in for the upcoming hiatus.

So far, the only ones that know about this decision are Haiduki, Rikka, and Tsubasa. The leader is aware that the has to inform Dai about the decision no later than tomorrow, since he did not want to pressure the younger even more during his interviews. The purple haired man goes straight to the fifth floor, place where all the managers have their office and he hopes to find Haiduki already with the documentation.

“Good afternoon,” Shiki says as he knocks on the door just to let them know that he is already there.

“Shi-kun, I didn’t think you were actually coming,” Haiduki expresses surprised, he has been really hoping that this all issue about the hiatus can be just a joke.

“Stop it with the ‘Shi-kun’, you know I need the documents,” the man tells as he moves inside the office.

“So, is it true?” Tsukishiro asks a bit alarmed.

“Is the issue that bad? I know Murase-san had an incident, but according to what we were seeing, he had a great performance and the audience is coming back in his favor,” Kurotsuki immediately adds.

They have seen how affected for the decision Haiduki has been and they are obviously willing to say and do as much as possible to convince Shiki to stop the hiatus.

“I haven’t been able to watch the interviews, will do as soon as I get back home, but still I want to take the documents with me,” Shiki replies to the comments, it’s really an inconvenient that all the managers were here at this moment.

Haiduki sighs, he knows how stubborn Shiki can be, thus he does not try to retain the documents nor stop the decision.

“Just, try to think a bit more if this is what SolidS really needs,” the manager states as the final condition and Shiki nods.

“If we can help out in any way, let us know,” Kurotsuki adds.

“Yes, please, we are willing to help, and I’m pretty sure the other units will also help SolidS without hesitation,” Tsukishiro is the one who speaks up now.

“I appreciate it, honestly, well, I only came for this so…”

“Shiki, one more thing, the request for vacation has been approved, if Dai really wants to be out for a week we just need to know when.”

“Understand, thank you Haiduki, thanks to you too, see you!”

SolidS leader leaves the office and the three men in there stay in silence for a while, the expression on Shiki’s face was clearly of someone who has been defeated.

“I feel I failed them as a manager,” Haiduki whispers after a while.

“It’s not the end until the announcement gets to be official, so you should not give up yet,” the tallest manager says.

“That’s true, maybe if you try going later to the dorm and see how things are, anything will work to stop the hiatus,” Kanade mentions hoping that the idea can be helpful.

“You’re right, I’m gonna finish with this paperwork, I was about to cancel all these offers, but I will try to postpone them as much as possible,” Haiduki comments as he gets back to work.

Dai Kurotsuki is right, it’s not the end until it becomes official and he can even push Shiki to delay any possible announcement of a hiatus, or that is what he hopes.

*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*

After enjoying some drinks together, Tsubasa and Rikka are back to the dorms. They have taken more time that intended in going back home, but at least that has guaranteed them that no one from the other units will see them. Plus, Tsubasa has seen that Rikka has finally smiled in a more honest way in front of him, for a moment, the blonde man has seen the essence of Rikka that has been gone for a while.

“Well, I think we had a pretty good time,” Tsubasa says.

“Totally, I enjoyed it, thank you for inviting me,” Rikka expresses with a sincere smile.

“Once we are all back together… do you think we can go out? The four of us?” the blonde man dares to ask taking advantage of the good mood from the other man.

“Yes… I… I do want to solve my problems with Dai, I will understand if he does not want us to get back together, but I do want to solve everything,” Rikka says, lowering his head as his voice cracks.

Tsubasa goes closer to him and hugs him, this is what he has wanted to hear all this time and he is glad that Rikka is finally showing his willingness to talk with his childhood friend. Once they get to the dorm, they see as the lights are on, obviously Shiki has already come back from work.

“We’re back!!!” Tsubasa loudly says as they enter the dorm.

“Welcome back,” Shiki greets them from the living room and hides the papers that he has been working on.

“You’re back sooner than expected,” Tsubasa comments, “I guess we can watch the interviews now, I recorded them, so we just need to play them.”

“Fine, I’ve heard good rumors going on, but I still want to see and have my own opinion,” Shiki adds as he moves towards the couch.

“Do you want to join us, Rikka?”

Tsubasa throws the question without a previous warning, even Shiki looks surprised, but still he is expectant of the answer.

“I think I have to pass, but because I need to rest for tomorrow, is that alright?”

They can see real honesty in the words and so they both nod showing understanding and even happiness by seeing how sincere Rikka has been.

“Thank you, see you tomorrow.”

“Good night!”

“Sleep well!!!” Tsubasa exclaims and turns his attention to the TV, “now, let’s watch this and see how well Dai-chan did!”

On the other hand, Rikka gets to his room, he sees that his features show how tired he is and realizes that Tsubasa is right. All of them are tired, the last two months have been exhausting, even more if they think about how packed their schedules were before the movie.

Of course, the psychological impact that all the events from the last weeks have had on him, and as well as on the others, have been stronger as the opportunities to take a break have been non-existent. The pink haired man sighs, he then washes his face and is careful of following his night routine to take care of himself. Routine that he has left neglected most of the days since all of this started, he was lucky that the consequences of being so careless are just starting to be noticeable.

When getting ready to go to bed, he realizes that since he spent all the afternoon and the evening with Tsubasa, he has not checked his phone. Therefore, and before disconnecting from the world, he turns it on to check if there is any urgent message.

Unfortunately, the only person who has sent him a message has been no other than Kinomiya Takato. Rikka sighs, he thought that things between them were already cleared and that the man was not going to insist him anymore.

The slender man opens the message and sees as Kinomiya has sent him a picture just with the purpose of destroying him.

Dai kissing Hino, and with the picture a text saying; ‘_They don’t really seem to be acting, they seem to be delighted by their so-called fake relationship._’

Rikka clenches his fist and throws his cellphone to his bed so he can cover his mouth.

“He does not know anything,” Rikka whispers to himself, “I need to… I need to talk to Hino and then to Dai…”

He keeps telling trying to convince that the picture is just one extra part of their job and requirement to pretend to be a couple. Rikka takes a deep breath and searches for his phone again, quickly he texts Takato back.

“_Is there any special need to want to cause damage? I said it yesterday, and I said it again, I do not want to see you ever again._”

As soon as the message is sent, he decides to turn off his cellphone, he does not need to have a longer and exhaustive discussion with that man. If truly necessary, he will do it at some other moment, but not now.

Rikka quickly pulls the blankets and buries himself under them, as he closes his eyes the image of that photograph is the only thing he can see. No, he cannot allow himself to go back, he needs to face them, to know the truth.

“Don’t allow your stupid jealousy to take control again,” the man whispers as he forces himself to fall sleep.

Tomorrow, tomorrow will be the day to talk to Hino Gou and get one step closer to make up with Dai.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you really think that Takato was not coming back?  
What do you think about that sudden kiss?  
As usual, thank you so much for readding! I'm really thankful for the support on this fic!!!!   
Please, take care and stay safe!


	26. Chapter 26

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They have been holding on throughout the conflict, but even Shiki and Tsubasa have a breaking point and when emotions are overwhelming it's hard to control themselves.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... don't really know what to say hahahaha, I know it's an unusual time and day or me to update, but I've been pushing myself to get an update ... I honestly feel that unless I get to finish this fic I won't be able to write any other idea... plus I have the idea that Dai and Rikka are chasing after me every single day until I give them a happy ending or until I get to finish this fic XDD  
As usual thank you for reading <3

**Chapter 26: **

The ride from Hino’s apartment to his sister’s apartment has been in complete silence. Dai knows he is desperate to talk, but wouldn’t be too weird to talk about this with his sister? What if he calls Tsubasa? Probably not the best option. Being lost in his thoughts the younger sibling does not even perceive when the car has stopped until his sister pokes him on the arm.

“Dai… I know this morning I said I’ll give you time, but I’m afraid your brain will explode before that can happen or things can become worst, so talk…”

“Aya-nee…”

“We are not leaving the car until you talk!” 

Dai sighs, where he should start? What he should say?

“I kissed her, but… didn’t feel anything for her, I feel like I used her to try to… try to forget about Rikka, or even as some revenge against him,” he is not even sure if his sister will understand.

“Why did you break up with Sera-san? I know you were the one who did it because Tsu-kun told me, but I want to know the reason.”

“I’ll tell you all, but please, let’s go inside,” the younger brother requests.

As usual, Aya gives in to his little brother request and nods, they get off the car and quickly move from the parking lot to the apartment. Once in there, Dai takes off the cap and the glasses he has been wearing and awkwardly stays in the middle of the hall.

“Come, I’ll make something to eat and you can talk while I’m on it, you know I’m a good multitasker,” she says and takes his hand leading him towards the kitchen.

The younger sibling nods and follows, once they have reached the place, Dai takes a seat, being honest, it is probably better to talk about all his feelings with his sister and not with Tsubasa. Therefore, he takes a deep breath and starts telling everything to her, since the moment he was told he was going to be in this movie until the unexpected moment in which he kisses Hino.

“I feel like a bastard for trying to take advantage of the moment and see if there was a chance to feel something for her, but…”

“There were no feelings,” Aya finishes to try to make things a bit easier for Dai and then she is the one sighing, “One thing is for sure, your relationship with Sera-san moved so fast that it came to a moment in which you two realized of something in the worst way.”

Dai looks up at his sister feeling lost at what her point could possibly be.

“You have dealt with all these fluffy and cute emotions, and so far I believe this was the first real difficulty you had as a couple,” she says, “on one hand we have you making a cutting decision that gives no space for Sera-san to talk…”

“He never wanted to talk and…”

“Dai… take it easy, I’m just trying to summarize and give you my point of view,” Aya stops his brother so she can continue trying to have a whole picture of the events, “I know you made the decision under pressure since he didn’t want to talk, but breaking up was not the only option.”

The younger man runs his hands through his hair, what else could he have done? He didn’t want Rikka to keep losing his real self, he didn’t want to cause more suffering to Rikka… which did not happen.

“Now, all you have said about Sera-san are suppositions, you are not sure if he does hate you, every person needs time when there’s a problem and you cannot expect him to heal so quickly, he needs time just as you do,” she keeps going, “you are believing that he is with this photographer, you are thinking that he just ignored your text, stop making these dramas on your head and talk to him.”

“But he…”

“Man up! Dai-chan, you have to stop being hesitant,” she is uncertain about saying what she already knows, but if this can push his brother to start making decision and take actions, then it might be for the best, “listen, Takamura-san made the decision of sending the whole unit to a hiatus.”

“What????!!!! How come… no one has told me anything yet…”

Aya takes a deep breath, yes, she has stepped into a dangerous field by revealing information that was not supposed to be heard by Dai until tomorrow.

“And you have to pretend not to know, Takamura-san didn’t want you to be distracted today during the interviews,” she expresses, “but according to what Tsu-kun told me, Takamura-san is too closed to give in for all these problems which in my opinion are bullshit, a successful unit like SolidS shouldn’t disappear for this.”

Dai feels as his sister is finally revealing her real self to him again. Whenever he was not capable to find the answers or he used to feel overwhelmed, she would treat him with kindness, but once she had gotten tired of the same; Aya would show no mercy and make him see all his errors. Was this the real reason why Tsubasa made her part of this mess?

He listens to his sister sighing and looks up at her.

“I know this all happen for something stupid and you are right, we forgot that there are always problems in a relationship,” Dai says as he lowers his head again, “I’ve never been in a relationship before and I’m not saying this as an excuse, but I was scared and honestly didn’t know how to act.”

“Well, you are not the smartest person when you are under pressure,” Aya mentions while smirking.

“You are for sure enjoying this…”

“Not really, I’ve seen your suffering face, almost the same as when you got the injured,” the woman expresses and Dai places his right hand over his shoulder, “you found a way out of it, you will also find a solution for this.”

The man hunches down, he did find a solution or rather said a new path. However, he used to see it as a stroke of luck and if he is sure about something is that he cannot leave his relationship with Rikka to something so random as luck.

“For now, let’s go to sleep, you have to record some songs tomorrow and I have a mess to take care of at the office.”

“I’m sorry, I’m taking a lot of time from you,” Dai expresses lowering his head again and standing up to move to his room.

“You’re my little brother, one of my priorities, alright? So, don’t feel bad.”

She says smiling at him as she gets on her tiptoes to ruffle his hair.

“Now be a good boy and go to bed, good night.”

“Good night Aya-nee.”

Aya pats his back and then leaves the kitchen, Dai sighs and scratches his head, everything Aya said is so true. He had been with Rikka for a long time, but during all those years they never really had an argument; being honest, Dai felt in more than one time that it was weird to see how much Tsubasa and Shiki could argue while he and Rikka were always getting along.

He takes a deep breath, tomorrow he is going to ask Shiki about Rikka’s agenda and see if there is any time available for them to talk. Task that can be extremely complicated if he thinks about how disorganized Hiwatari Association has turned out to be. Feeling the need to calm his mind a bit more before going to sleep, Dai decides to put some order in the kitchen, washing the dishes and returning everything to its specific.

When he gets to his room, he looks at his cellphone, thinking again about sending a message to Rikka; nevertheless, after two months he believes it will be better to talk face to face. He goes under the blankets and reaches out to put the cellphone on the night table, he flinches feeling a minor pain in his shoulder and stays numb for a moment.

That guy kicked him on his injured shoulder, he has been feeling some pain, but he thought it was due to the amount of stress. Dai feels as the panic starts to rise, but he cannot start making deductions; therefore, he searches on his stuff for a pain killer so he can have enough rest and stop the uncomfortable sensation of pain.

*°*°*°°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*

They have spent the last couple of hours watching the interviews, the first one was without a doubt a huge success, Dai had been cleared about the events and had shown sincerity while apologizing to the fans and all people involved. That for sure will be an important action that Tsukino Talent must take into account to reconsider the suspension given to Dai.

On the other hand, the second interview had not been of much help. Dai had started in an assertive way; however, the interviewer had tried to lead him to make mistakes, making him nervous and hesitant about his own answers. Shiki and Tsubasa have agreed that Hino was the one who actually saved Dai but getting herself too closed of falling into troubles.

“It’s a 50/50 result,” Shiki concludes, “which, doesn’t help to change my initial decision.”

“Come on!!!! Don’t be unfair! The second guy was an asshole, he wanted to create a bigger misunderstanding!” Tsubasa says out loud and standing up.

“And Dai should have been prepared for it,” the leader does not hesitate in his response, “Tsubasa, I am doing this because I do think it’s the best, we all need a break, you cannot tell me that you are not tired.”

“I am, but going on a hiatus won’t give me any peace,” Tsubasa insists, he really needs Shiki to stop all this bullshit, “Come on, we know Dai-chan could make mistakes, but the first interview…”

“It’s not enough, this only makes clear to me that he needs a break, again, we all need a break.”

“I don’t want this to be the end!!!”

The blonde man screams, yes, he has been trying to deal with everyone’s problems, he has been trying to be patient, to help, to show a smile to everyone regardless of the situation. Nevertheless, everything has a limit, and right now Tsubasa has reached that limit.

“This should not be the end, Shiki,” he says lowering his head, “I thought you could be a better leader, but if this is all you can do… then you are just a mediocre person!!”

“Tsubasa,” Shiki tries to stop him, but the blonde demands his silence.

“No, listen to me! You said you love SolidS the most, then why are you doing this? Do you like to destroy all the good things in your life?! Tell me to get ready before our relationship also goes to hell!”

“Tsubasa, please, calm down,” the older man tries to reason, if he follows Tsubasa their situation will only get worse, “I do love SolidS, but…”

“Stop saying but! Stop giving me lame excuses! Fight for SolidS, protect the unit! Don’t simply come at me telling me ‘things went wrong, the hiatus is the best’.”

Tsubasa has raised his voice so much that he has even waken up Rikka. The pink haired man gets to the common room rubbing his eyes and trying to get a hold of the situation. As he gets closer, Rikka can clearly perceive the dangerous aura of the argument that has started.

“I’m not giving you lame excuses, I’ve been studying the situation since the issues started, I can’t force any of you to work with each other and…”

“Have you actually talked with Dai, with Rikka? What have you done to try to help them?” Tsubasa interrupts Shiki again, “tell me, what have you done?”

“So, now you are telling me that you are the only one who has done all the hard work? You are the one who has talked with the president, with Hiwatari Association.”

Now it’s too late, Shiki has also lost his temper as he has started to respond with a loud voice too, both men look at each other. Anger is easily seen in their eyes as they are no longer able to hold their emotions.

“Tell me! Are you the one who has seen his friends crying and hasn’t been able to support them the way you want because besides being a friend you also have to think about what’s best for the unit! Tell me, are you the one who has gone through that hell?!”

“Don’t come at me playing the victim now! You just want to tear SolidS apart! Instead of being a leader you are a coward!”

“I don’t want to tear SolidS apart!”

“Would you two please stop screaming???!!!”

Rikka screams louder and stops his two friends from keeping the argument. Tsubasa looks at him surprised while Shiki just sighs defeating and knowing that they really went to the point of making things worse. The leader runs a hand through his hair showing how frustrated he is and admitting that he has nothing good to say to his partners and friends he walks away and exits the dorm.

Usually, Tsubasa will complain and chase after him to continue their argument, but not this time, not when he knows he let his impulses take over him. The blonde man falls on the couch and even if he wants to fight against the tears, he cannot. He has thrown away the only chance he had to try to convince Shiki of not sending the unit to a hiatus and so he allows himself to cry.

The pink haired man hesitates, should he go after Shiki or stay with Tsubasa? His doubts are vanished when he hears how heartbreaking Tsubasa’s crying is. Slowly, Rikka gets closer to the younger man, cautiously sitting next to him and patting his back.

“I’m sorry, Rikka,” Tsubasa says in the middle of sobs as he has tried to control himself, “I’ve been telling you to give your best… and here I am, I was an idiot and lost control.”

“You don’t have to apologize, Tsubasa,” Rikka tells him and rubs the blond man’s back, “you and Shiki… you two have been involved in a mess that is not even your responsibility.”

“You and Dai-chan are my friends, of course I will look for any way in which I could help,” Tsubasa immediately expresses, covering his face with his hands, “I just hate what Shiki is doing, I hate it because he is also punishing himself!”

Rikka feels as that last phrase stabs him in his heart, Shiki is also punishing himself without a doubt.

“I said awful things to him… and I shouldn’t have, but I got so angry!”

“Emotions are hard to control, but I’m sure Shiki will understand… you two… you two have had some arguments in the past, but you always get to solve everything, that’s something I admire from your relationship.”

“It’s not easy, you know?”

Tsubasa says and Rikka looks puzzled at the younger man.

“Solving problems is not easy,” the blond man starts explaining, “Shiki is hard to understand, and I know I’m hard to understand for him, we are way too different.”

Tsubasa pauses for a moment, he still needs to take deep breaths to calm the frequent sobs.

“But… then I think that I love him, and love is about understanding, about supporting each other,” he says as he cleans the tears, “we rarely get into deep talk about our feelings, but I feel we know we are both passionate about what and who we love and that’s why we solve our problems, being honest, I don’t really know how to explain it.”

Rikka stares at an empty space, understanding, supporting… did he ever try those things with all honesty when Dai got into this project? Since the beginning of the project he has felt so much jealousy, so much anger… all because of his own insecurities.

“I’m sure Shiki will understand, don’t dwell too much on this, alright?”

“I probably should go out and look for him, that idiot also needs to sleep properly.”

“Do you want me to go with you?” Rikka offers himself.

However, Tsubasa kindly rejects the proposal and stands up.

“I feel this time it’s not going to be enough with just one look, I really need to speak and say I’m sorry to him.”

“I understand, if you need anything call me.”

“Will do, but try to go back to sleep, I’m sorry I woke you up.”

Rikka waves his hand letting him know that there’s no problem, Tsubasa nods and leaves the room. The pink haired man is left alone in the dorm, he really needs to hurry and fix the mess he has caused. Rikka goes to his room and look for his cellphone as well for the business card he has gotten with Hino’s information.

Probably a message in the middle of the night is not the best way to get to an agreement of when to talk, but he has to act now. He types the message and sends it, anxiously he waits for a reply until the device vibrates letting him know about the new message he has gotten.

‘_Tomorrow after the recording, I have one free hour, do you think that’s enough time for us to talk?_’

Rikka feels as his heart starts beating faster, he also needs to be at the studio so it will be the perfect moment to talk.

‘_Yes, I appreciate it. Good night._’

He texts back and again turns off his cellphone before he can get any new message from Kinomiya. Rikka lies down on his bed and closes his eyes, he knows sleep will not come easily for him, but forcing himself to sleep is the best he can do now.

*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*

Shiki has come out of the building, he considers the option of just going for a walk, but at this time, it would not be the smartest plan, he must keep some energy for tomorrow. The man pulls his hair with his left hand, just why he lost the control at the very last minute? He could have let Tsubasa scream at him all he wanted and needed, but no, he had to speak up too.

“Another bad day?” again the same voice from the other day.

“Are you starting a habit of catching me in my worst moments?” Shiki says instead of replying the question.

“I honestly don’t want to, I know how grumpy you can be when being in troubles, anything you want to talk about?” Shu proposes to his colleague, “you know, even the older brother is allowed to seek for advice from the younger brother every once in a while.”

He adds as he sees how uncertain Shiki is.

“It’s… if QUELL were ever to face a serious problem, would you send the unit to a hiatus?”

Shiki says without hesitation surprising QUELL’s leader.

“Don’t you tell me that…”

“I don’t know what else to do… I think this is the best, but… what if it’s not like that?”

Shu sighs, he can see how turbulent Shiki’s mind is right now, the younger man asks Shiki to take a seat with him in one the couches that are in the lobby of the dorms. Shu observes as his old friend hunches down and sighs, he does not remember a time in which he has seen Shiki in such bad condition.

“Is about what happened with Dai yesterday?”

“There’s more besides that,” Shiki answers almost in a whisper, “I feel that Dai and Rikka will not be able to work together again.”

Shu furrows his brow, one question immediately leaving his lips, “why?”

“It’s complicated, but ever since they had an issue, things went down the road for us, all the problems started,” Shiki confesses without giving too much details,” Rikka missed part of his agenda on purpose, Dai had the accident in Kyoto and then he hit that guy…”

“Are personal feelings involved?”

Before Shiki can reply his cellphone starts ringing, Haiduki is calling him, so he asks Shu to give him a moment.

“Haiduki, something happened?” Shiki wonders.

“_No, not at all, I just wanted to see if I could go to the dorm, I know it’s late but…_”

“Not really the best moment, Tsubasa and I had an argument,” Shiki admits and sighs.

Shu sees with sorrow at Shiki, when his friend has told him that things in general have gone down the road he was not lying.

“_Shiki…_”

“I… I call you later, see you tomorrow in the studio.”

The purple haired man says as he hangs up the phone. There is a moment of silence, there is no need for Shiki to answer the previous question, just during the last moment Shu could have understood that personal feelings are in fact involved from every member in SolidS.

“If QUELL were ever to face a hard situation… I will try to avoid the hiatus, I will look out for help from people I trust, work out a strategy, I will listen to Eichi, Issei and Ichiru, they are my family, they are the people I love.”

Shu starts speaking and then he looks at Shiki.

“Our units are too different, that would be my course of action for QUELL,” Shu adds as he looks at Shiki, “for SolidS… I will say you can do whatever you want except a hiatus and it will work.”

“That does not give me many ideas, you know?”

Shiki says and bitterly laughs, whatever he wants, what does it include?

“You will figure it out.”

“I need to figure it out before the next leaders meeting.”

With that, Shu understands why Shiki seems so troubled about it, he has never been good at thinking and working against the clock. They stay in silence for a while, and listen to the elevator’s door being opened, the person coming out is Tsubasa.

“I will keep thinking about possible solutions for you, but give me some time, alright?” Shu says as he stands up.

“You don’t really have to do it.”

“I want to help my friend, now my first recommendation as of right now, talk to him,” Shu leans and whispers on Shiki’s ear, the younger leader has easily noticed the teary eyes and the red nose from Tsubasa.

Shiki sighs, there is no need to tell him to speak with Tsubasa, he knows he has to. Shu waves goodbye to Shiki while the latest simply moves his head acknowledging the end of the talk and the farewell.

Once Shu and Tsubasa have exchanged a short greeting and a fast farewell, the blond man shyly walks to where Shiki is sitting. He does not say anything as he takes a seat next to the older man.

“I know the hiatus is not our only option,” Shiki starts speaking, “but when I see that every time that we are getting closed to find a solution something else happen… I wonder if we should really keep defying destiny.”

Tsubasa looks at Shiki by the corner of his eye, he sees how tired his lover looks, the dark circles under his eyes have become bigger than usual, and his face is even paler. The blond man feels as his heart aches, he was so unfair with Shiki, he should have thought better about his words.

“We have always defied destiny, haven’t we?” the younger expresses, his voice breaking at the end of the question, “nevertheless, I will support your decision, if you think the hiatus is the best… I will go to hiatus.”

“Tsubasa?”

“But! Promise me that SolidS will be back, the hiatus will be our way to become stronger, to get back together the way we used to be,” the tears start falling down Tsubasa’s face, it hurts him like hell to accept the hiatus, but he cannot keep being selfish.

Shiki does not reply, he pulls Tsubasa closer to him and hugs him, he does not care if someone from another unit comes and sees them. Right now, what he needs is to assure to Tsubasa that they will be definitely back.

“I’m sorry, I’m really sorry, you are not a mediocre person,” the younger says still crying, “I know you have also been giving your best, I know this has been hard for you.”

“I’m not the only one who has been suffering,” Shiki adds as he pats Tsubasa’s head, “let’s go to the dorm, we can sleep together today, do you want to sleep with me?”

Tsubasa simply nods and stands up, he quickly cleans his face with his left hand and waits for Shiki. Once the older has stood up they walk together to the elevator and as the doors close, Shiki gets closer to Tsubasa and gives him a kiss on the forehead.

“I’m also sorry and, please, know that our relationship is never going to hell,” Shiki whispers on Tsubasa’s ear, “I won’t let you go, alright?”

The blond wraps his arms around Shiki, he really needed to listen to those words. Letting go of SolidS for a while will be hard, but he trusts Shiki, he has always trusted the leader, so he can be sure that at some moment, they will be back as a unit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since Shiki and Tsubasa have arguments more frequently I do believe that they are also capable of fixing their problems faster... opposite to Dai and Rikka (again in my headcanon/mind/brain/whatever you wanna call it) something that I tried to expose through Dai's sister's reasoning... if there are no silly fights, there's no way to develop a way to deal with conflicts, if there are no solutions, people give up in a fast way and make a lot of drama ///aka this happened to me and my exbff XDD she kicked me out of her life 3 months ago so... I'm now kind of using my personal experience for this fic LOL///   
one more time, thank you for reading <3


	27. Chapter 27

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gou and Rikka have a conversation they both need, one to redeem herself and try to find peace for the action she made, the other to try and find the way in which he has to keep moving.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, hi!!! new chapter!  
This one has a part that I needed my little sis to read it... and after she read that we talked and laughed about this fic... who would have thought that this little friend would reach 27 chapters and still I don't know how many chapters are left??? XDD  
Anyways... I did organize the events that still need to happen and the order I would like them to happen... so it might be around 5 more chapters... not sure... stay tune to know more about it when I have a clearer idea...  
I believe, I truly believe that there is no drama today... which means drama is practically over for this fic...  
and I hope you enjoy the chapter!

**Chapter 27: **

After getting ready for his day, Rikka has verified what he has feared, when he has turned on his cellphone, he found three new messages from Takato. Every single message asking him to meet one more time, stating that things could not end up in that way. Rikka wanted to ignore the request, however, a part of him agrees that is only reasonable to find a better ending for them. if he has to be honest, he took advantage of Kinomiya’s desire to be with him to fulfill the emptiness that Dai has left.

Before leaving his room, the pink haired man texts Kinomiya with the date and the place for their encounter. Hoping that the man does not get too capricious Rikka silences the chat with Takato as he must keep his mind as clear as possible for his future conversation with Hino and of course for the recording.

Once out of his room, Rikka finds Tsubasa in the common room, an unusual sight if he thinks that the blonde man has a free day which he normally takes to sleep in as much as he can. Nevertheless, considering what happened last night, it might be possible that Tsubasa just couldn’t sleep or didn’t find any peace being alone.

“Good morning,” Rikka greets him with a soft and kind voice.

“Rikka? I thought you were out for a run,” the younger says as he recovers from the small jolt.

“I… I haven’t gone for a run for a couple of weeks to be honest, I haven’t felt in the mood,” he expresses as he knows that his lack of motivation is not having Dai with him.

“Ah, I understand, how are you feeling?”

“I should be the one asking you that question,” Rikka replies as he takes a seat closed to Tsubasa, “did you sleep enough?”

Tsubasa closes his eyes and sighs, “being honest, Shiki and I were talking all night, I think we fell sleep around 5:00am and he had to wake up at 7:00am to go to the studio.”

“I’m glad to know you two are in good terms,” Rikka adds with a smile.

“We talked all night about the hiatus, that we really need it and that we hope that a time out of everything can make us come back together.”

The pink haired man looks with a shock expression, so at the end Tsubasa gave in and accepted the hiatus? He is still trying to make complete sense of what his friend just have said. Therefore, when Tsubasa notices Rikka’s confused look, he knows he has to explain himself.

“After talking with you, I realized of how hard this decision is for Shiki and that he wouldn’t be getting to this conclusion if it was not a 100% necessary,” the younger man starts explaining, “when I found him in the lobby I could see how difficult had been for him and I just agreed with the hiatus.”

Rikka keeps in silence for a moment, again he has the feeling that he cannot complain, that he cannot fight against that statement, because at the end, that is the truth. After some minutes, the pink haired man nods and stands up.

“Rikka,” Tsubasa calls him out, “Shiki and I made a promise, just two months, the time that Dai-chan’s going to be suspended.”

“The hiatus?”

“That’s our goal, just two months out,” the blonde man says with a tiny enthusiastic smile, “what do you think?”

“We can totally do it,” Rikka says, that’s enough time to fix all the mess, “I was supposed to have breakfast, but I better hurry.”

“Eh? Doesn’t your recording start in 3 hours?”

Tsubasa wonders as he also stands up from the couch, he feels as he will need to recover some sleep.

“I am actually going to speak with Hino today.”

The blonde man stares in silence at Rikka, did he listen to his friend correctly? He is going to speak with the actress, today? 

“It’s a small step to try to solve all this madness, I will eventually speak with Dai,” the man keeps going, “also, don’t say a word to Shiki, but I will meet with Kinomiya just to clarify everything and feel freer from all the riot that has been going on.”

Certainly, the last part is not something that Tsubasa wanted nor expected; nonetheless, he understands that Rikka needs to completely clear his path. The blonde man nods and smiles at his friend.

“Good luck with Hino, and my lips are sealed, I won’t say a word to Shiki, but make sure to do what’s best for you.”

“I will, take care and sleep a bit more, you need it!”

Tsubasa waves goodbye to his colleague, he stretches a bit and after so many weeks he finally feels some sort of tranquility. The blonde man knows that even he and Shiki were having a silent argument on how all the situation has been playing and they got to solve it yesterday. Moreover, he could see so much honesty in Rikka’s eyes that he now believes more than ever that SolidS will come back soon.

*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*

It has been so stressful lately that even if he does not want to admit it, Dai is only waiting for something bad to happen at any moment. It is easy to notice on his eyes and how tense his body is.

“You keep touching your shoulder and it makes me feel that we are back in the past,” Aya expresses as she looks him by the corner of her eye.

“It’s nothing,” he quickly replies, “I call you or text you if there’s any delay.”

“Let’s hope the day can be normal, good luck, see you later!”

“See you, have a good day,” Dai replies as he hurries to Hino’s apartment.

Aya sighs in frustration, she already talked to him and tried to make him feel more focused on what to do. However, Dai is the only one who can make a change or keep in the path of suffering.

Meanwhile, Dai feels more anxious than usual, he and Gou were finally coming to have a normal friendship and he had to blow it with such stupid action. Knowing that there is no way to avoid their encounter, Dai texts her that he is getting to the apartment, the response is as quick as usual and once he gets to the floor Gou is already waiting for him outside.

“Suminomiya-san told me he is already waiting for us; are you ok to go now, or do you want to drink something or…”

“It’s alright, you know I prefer to leave faster,” Dai expresses looking at the apartment where Kinomiya lives.

“Right, let’s go then,” the girl replies and closes the door.

They walk side by side; Dai feels nervous about taking Gou’s hand or doing something inappropriate. Especially when he remembers Hino’s words, ‘do not hurt people who care for you and love you,’ he swallows hard and takes a deep breath.

“Is something bothering you?” she wonders, she needs to know if Dai is in a good mentality to tell him that she will speak with Rikka today.

“I feel that I need to apologize one more time for what I did yesterday,” the boy says looking down.

Gou knows exactly what he means, and it hurts to confirm that the intention was not only to distract the people that were watching them, but also to use her to forget about Rikka. The woman sighs and turns around to face Dai, she forces herself to give a bright and kind smile to the man.

“Just… let’s move on, alright? Besides, Hiwatari-san texted me saying that the kiss has made us one of the most popular hashtags on social networks yesterday bringing the movie to be also one of the most commented topics, so everything is positive,” Gou expresses as they get to where Suminomiya is waiting for them, “at the end you did something good.”

“Gou… I…”

She looks at him dead serious, practically demanding him to accept that everything is alright and there is no need to keep apologizing. Dai understands it and so he nods, he will not bring up the topic again. They greet the manager and get in the car, their path to get to the recording studio goes with casual conversation while Gou keeps thinking about how to tell Dai that she will speak with Rikka today.

“Gou, I need to ask you a favor, I want to stay a bit more at the studio, I want to talk with Shiki,” the man mentions just when they are getting to the place.

“Eh? Don’t tell me that something else happened?!” She wonders alarmed, they have been talking about random stuff, so she fears that Dai has hidden an important topic.

“Kind of… I was informed that Shiki has decided to send the unit to hiatus,” he expresses looking down, he was feeling better with the casual conversation, but it is time to come back to reality.

Hino and Suminomiya look in shock at the recent statement, are things going so bad with SolidS?

“Dai… I told Takamura-san I will help as much as I could, so tell me if there is anything I can do!”

“I am pretty sure that Hiwatari Association will also help if this is related to the incident from the previous day,” Suminomiya quickly adds to reassure the man.

“I appreciate it, I don’t have all the information as of right now, and that’s why I need to talk to him.”

Gou and her manager understand how important this is for Dai and if they think about the schedule, they have plenty of time before the photoshoot that they need to cover during that day. Therefore, there is not a lot to fix, Suminomiya agrees on coming back for them an hour and a half later than the original schedule so they can have enough time.

“Good luck with the recording, I’ll go to the agency and will be back for you two, alright?”

“Yes, thank you!” Gou and Dai say at the same time.

They do a quick revision of their surroundings just to make sure that there are no photographers, once they have made sure no one is around they walk to the building’s lobby. They go to the second floor where Shiki is already waiting for them and internally Dai prays this can be a good recording for him.

“Morning Shiki,” Dai says after knocking on the door.

“Hello, glad to see you around and on time,” the leader expresses and stands up to hand them the music sheets with the songs, “I assume you already listened to the demo and studied your parts, right?”

“Yes” they both reply at the same time.

“Alright, let’s start with Hino-san since it’s the first time that I’m working with you.”

“Yes, sir!”

The woman moves inside the recording both, then, Shiki explains to her how they will be working on the recording of her song. Being honest, the leader is thankful that Hiwatari Association only requested one duet for Dai and Hino, the pressure and problems this movie has caused is something he wants to forget as soon as this nightmare is over. Once the instructions are given, Shiki plays the off-vocal version to Hino so she can adapt to the sound and get a clear idea of the whole process. Moment that Dai takes as an advantage to speak with the older man.

“Shiki?”

“Yes? What is it?” the leader response as he keeps adjusting the equipment for Hino’s part.

“After the recording… can we talk?” he said with certain hesitation.

“We do need to talk, so yeah,” Shiki replies and turns around to look at Dai, “but, whatever you have on your mind right now, throw it away as I need you in a 100% condition for the recording.”

“Understood.”

Their recording process starts, it is normal to see how frequently Shiki stops Hino as it is the first time that the woman is working on a song. However, even for being her first time there is no sign of Shiki being frustrated as he has experienced with some other singers; probably since Gou does not complain about the recommendations and she follows Shiki’s instructions without giving problems. After one hour and a half her part for the duet is finally completed and now Dai is the one who goes inside the recording both.

“Ok, you already listened to Hino’s part so getting this one completed shouldn’t be a problem,” Shiki expresses as he prepares everything for Dai.

“Shouldn’t we start with the ones for the unit? I am the last one, right?” Dai wonders as he is about to put on the headset.

“Not this time, I couldn’t keep Rikka’s part, yesterday wasn’t his best day,” the leader replies and sees how Dai gets a bit tensed, “Dai, I need you to be focused, alright?”

“Yes, yes, I’m sorry, let’s go for the duet.”

“There’s no much time for retakes, so, let’s do it in one cut!”

The track starts playing and the change in Dai’s look is evident. Gou looks amazed at how fast he was able to concentrate and leave everything behind him to sing.

“That’s his biggest strength,” Shiki starts talking, “he might be a mess right now, but if he knows how to overcome a problem, he can get the job done.”

“Was it difficult for him at the beginning?” Gou wonders, if Shiki wants to talk to her, she needs to take advantage.

“With photoshoots, in the singing part he has always been ready to learn and improve,” the older man says, “but when it comes to photos, he rarely knows what to do, tho he can have good days with photos too.”

The woman giggles, it definitely sounds like Dai.

“He has never been good at having too much attention over him, I believe he got to relate singing with swimming and that’s why this is easier for him.”

“You seem to know him pretty well.”

“When you are the leader you have to know them,” Shiki says with some nostalgia, “although, lately I have not been able to understand them.”

Gou is about to reply to the comment, to say something that can make Shiki feels better and maybe talk about stopping the hiatus. Nevertheless, she receives a message in that moment from Rikka. As of right now, she has not said a word to Dai about her meeting with Sera, but she feels it will be better if she goes now that the man is still busy.

“Takamura-san, I apologize, but…would it be fine if I leave for a moment? I have an urgent matter to take care of.”

“No problem for me but, does Dai know you need to leave?”

“No… I am going to speak with Sera-san and I didn’t want to tell him, I didn’t even tell Suminomiya-san so I might get in a lot of troubles, but we need to do this.”

Shiki is surprised by the statement since Rikka has not told him anything either. However, he cannot think too much about that when he realizes that the song that Dai is performing is about to end, he nods and allows Hino to leave the studio. The woman bows to show gratitude towards SolidS leader to then leave as quiet and quickly as possible. Trying to go back to the current task, Shiki turns around to see as Dai is finishing with his last verse. Moreover, the older man knows that it will be too evident that he has not been paying attention as he will need to listen to all the performance that Dai has just made to see if there is any need to redo a part.

“Shiki?” Dai calls him out as he has come out of the recording both, “is everything ok or should I repeat something?”

“Ah… just … give me 6 minutes,” the leader responses as he is starting to listen to it.

“Where’s Gou?”

“She… ahhh she… Hino-san, well she needed to get something to drink, you know?”

Dai observes Shiki cautiously, he has always known that the leader is a terrible liar but for today he will not persist on the matter. Therefore, the younger man simply nods and waits for further instructions, after all he can always ask Hino what really happened.

*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*

Rikka is completely aware that he has gotten sooner than expected and he knows that probably sending the message to Hino was not his best move. Nevertheless, he feels desperate to start fixing this mess, thus if the woman can see him now, then that would be better.

The waiting feels awful and in the middle of his frustration, he starts pulling out a box of cigarettes from his bag. There is no smoking zone near the place where he is, but a quick smoke won’t make any damage, right? Just before he could light the cigarette Hino shows right in front of him and quickly Rikka throws it back into his bag.

“Good morning, I apologize for the wait,” Hino says, she feels as her voice sounds somehow nervous.

“It’s alright, I came earlier,” the man replies without making eye contact with her.

“I saw a café when coming here, do you want to go there so we can have some privacy?” Gou proposes feeling as her levels of anxiety increases, she has not thought about what to say to Rikka yet.

The pink haired man nods and asks Hino to guide the way. The café is just a few blocks away and it seems like a discrete place for them to have a conversation. They ask for a table that can be in the back part of the shop and once the waitress has taken the order, an evident environment of uncomfortability surrounds them. As soon as they have their beverages, Hino takes a drink and clears her throat, she is the one who proposed this, so she needs to be the one having the first word.

“I need to start by apologizing,” the woman states and sighs, “I apologize for forcing myself between you and Dai, when I found out about the relationship I should stay away.”

“You found out?” Rikka questions her, he and Dai were always so careful that is hard to believe that this woman had discovered them.

The woman has not even told about this to Dai, but she knows that to make everything clearer she will have to explain herself.

“Since the moment when we started the recording I had the idea that between you and Dai there was a special bond,” Gou starts explaining as she plays around with the straw on her glass, “anyone can deduce and know that Dai is someone shy and won’t share many details with anyone, not even with a childhood friend.”

She says referring and hoping to be specific enough on how she could perceive how different Dai used to behave with Tsubasa and with Rikka.

“I did a lot of wrong things, but whenever I glanced over Dai’s cellphone and saw how he replied to you, I knew there was something going on.”

“Just because of the messages?” Rikka questions her again, he bites his tongue, he should not have said it so bitter.

“I still had my doubts and that’s why I went with the idea of ‘let’s start this fake relationship and make him fall for me.’”

The woman confesses and Rikka evidently gets angry at the statement. Hino takes a deep breath; she has known that getting Rikka angrier by her confession and apologies was the most logical result from this conversation.

“So, even if you were uncertain about Dai being a free man you went ahead with the idea of faking a relationship with him?”

“Yes, and again I’m really sorry for it,” Gou states one more time, “I was an idiot, he was always too kind with me and it was the first time that someone was gentle to me without trying to get me to his bed.”

There is a pause, Rikka knows how this world works, he has also been there, people trying to take advantage of him for his fragile look compare to other men; he could only imagine how terrible could be for a woman.

“Anyways, the moment when I realized that he, in fact, had a relationship with you was the night before you got to Kyoto,” Hino answers as she remembers all the questions she did about Rikka to Dai, “I told him I wanted to know you better, but I just wanted to see his expressions and the way he talked about you, it was too evident to see how much he loves you.”

Rikka swallows hard, he didn’t know that Hino had played that kind of move and he knows how honest Dai is with just his look.

“During the interview we had together, I was able to perceive how much you despise me, so it was easier to make my conclusions,” the woman proceeds, “of course, I never imagined you would get to the point of trying to hurt me.”

The pink haired man looks up, so she did listen to him and Tsubasa talking about that the other day.

“Being honest I over react the impact of that fall,” Hino keeps going and makes a pause to drink a bit more, “I had seen Dai’s reactions and how uncomfortable your behavior was making him feel, so when I fell and pretended to be hurt I saw how that became the breaking point for Dai.”

“You knew it since that day?” Rikka asks her with some hesitation.

“I did.”

The pink haired man looks away, that was definitely the lowest point he has reached in a long time. Rikka takes a deep breath and feels as his body tenses, he knows that the action and words he is about to say are a must.

“I apologize, I… I was feeling so much jealousy back then, seeing that you two could go out as a couple, seeing how you could hold his hand and hug him in front of everyone was killing me, I wanted to be able to do that.”

Gou nods, she has seen how honest Rikka has been with each one of his words and she understands.

“I was also jealous of you, I might have had the privilege of acting in front of everyone as Dai’s girlfriend, but he has never looked at me with real love, not in the way he looks at you.”

Rikka feels as a knot forms in his throat, the way Dai used to look at him…no one is capable of making him feel so loved with just one look.

“You talk as if he still loves me, remember that he ended our relationship,” the pink haired man says and bites his tongue again as he keeps throwing all the blame to Dai.

“Sera-san, with all your respect, stop acting so bitchy,” Gou suddenly says and Rikka looks shocked at her, “I am the main person you two can blame for all the problems you have had, but I also know that if you two could have gotten the guts to face each other and clarify the problem, this wouldn’t have reached a point in which SolidS is about to go to hiatus.”

Rikka stares at Hino, but there is no hate or hard feelings against her because he knows it is the truth. Dai has tried from the beginning to talk, to solve the mess, but he has run away, he has looked for shelter in the arms of one of his ex-boyfriends. He has rejected his own colleagues and friends’ advices. They have lost track on their real feelings just to keep isolating themselves more and more.

A huge turbulent chaos caused that has even dragged Shiki and Tsubasa and that has come to damage their unit.

“Lastly, I feel it’s important to say that between Dai and I nothing has happened, now we are just friends trying to support each other,” Gou restarts the conversation after a while, “I will end up the relationship as soon as the movie is out, I don’t want him to feel tied to me and I would love to see SolidS back as soon as possible.”

“I know… I know nothing happened, I knew it from the beginning, Dai would never lie to me, but still I couldn’t control myself,” Rikka expresses, “even today I was coming here and thinking about complaining about the kiss you two had yesterday… but there was no…”

The pink haired man stops there, he spent all the time in the train looking at the picture that Kinomiya sent him. Looking how forced the action was, realizing that Dai was not even holding her with gentleness, realizing that Hino was the only one that still tried to cling and desperately search for any feeling of warmness coming from Dai.

“There was no sign of love from him, and you know it, right?” Gou says her voice breaking and Rikka feels awful, Hino does love Dai, at this moment, she is the one having the biggest suffering.

“I didn’t want to…”

“It’s fine. Anyways, I am certain I’m not your friend and probably we will never be, but please, try to talk to him.”

Gou says, she feels as her heart has finally calmed, she needed so bad to have this conversation with Rikka.

“I know we are not talking about a lot of issues that happened, but I want to know one more thing,” the man says, “I might be demanding more of what I can, but why did you change? It’s hard to believe that you are the same person I met in Kyoto.”

Hino had the feeling that this question will also show up in their conversation. She sighs, being honest she has also been shocked to see how much she has changed. Nevertheless, it was real.

“I said this to Takamura-san and I will say it to you too, I heard Dai crying,” she mentions and sees Rikka’s reaction, Gou notices how the pink haired man has tightened his hold on his glass, and then she proceeds, “if you ask me to describe it, it was pure anguish.”

Once again, she observes at the pink haired man, and takes a deep breath.

“I know people don’t suddenly change, there’s no such thing as waking up with a new mentality to bring joy to the world,” she pauses one more time, “and it wasn’t like that, I had to think a lot, ‘if I really love him as I say I do, what can I do to help him?’ so, I started by trying to make easier the recording, he was more relaxed, I back up on my stupidity of living together, he started trusting me a bit more… I have been suffering seeing how I am saying goodbye to him, but he is doing a bit better now.”

Rikka looks straight to her eyes, he sees honesty, he sees how real she is and the pain she is having for saying goodbye. The pink hired man feels his heart aching too, why he should say now, is there any words that can give a proper closure to this moment?

“Hino-san, thank you,” the man speaks still keeping the eye contact, “thank you for being sincere and for having this conversation with me, I am also sorry for any inconvenience I have caused you.”

Gou smiles, she feels a huge relief and that’s the emotion she wants to focus on right now.

“Thanks to you too.”

*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*

Dai is not really sure on how to feel about the conversation he has had with Shiki. He has stayed in silence, guiltiness hitting him hard as he believes his actions have doomed SolidS’ destiny.

“Dai, this will be the best for all of us, there’s no one to blame, there’s no reason for you to keep tormenting yourself.”

“I just, I’m sorry for having disappointed you,” he says lowering his head as he starts to massage his left shoulder.

At this point, it does not matter what Shiki says to him, Dai will always feel responsible for what is happening to SolidS. The leader goes closer and pats Dai’s head.

“We will overcome this, just that we need time.”

Dai nods, he cannot add anything to the discussion, and he can simply do his best so once he is out of his suspension he can come back and work with SolidS at his fullest.

The door gets suddenly opened startling both men, even more Dai once he sees the two people that have arrived, Gou and Rikka.

“Just in time, Rikka,” Shiki comments trying to avoid any possibility of an uncomfortable moment.

“Rikka…” Dai whispers as he stands up.

“Dai…”

Hino looks at them, a small interaction, but that is more than they have talked in the last weeks. Nevertheless, the encounter and the possibility of a longer conversation is interrupted when Hino’s manager shows.

“Good afternoon, sorry to interrupt, are Hino-san and Murase-san ready? The schedule was moved, and we need to leave as soon as possible.

Hino and Takamura look at the man as if he has made the worst mistake in the world. However, the leader nods and proceeds to reply.

“Yes, they are ready to go, good work! We will review the details for the concert next week.”

“Understand, thank you Takamura-san, see you.”

“Thank you, Shiki, see you,” Dai says to Shiki and Rikka and quickly he lowers his head and moves out of the studio with Gou and Suminomiya.

There is a moment of silence after Dai and Gou’s leaving, then Shiki cleared his throat, getting Rikka’s attention.

“So, how did it go?”

“I feel better now, still need to do a lot before I can really say I have done my part.”

Shiki nods, for now he will not ask any further detail, but he is satisfied by looking how relief Rikka seems to be now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rikka still needs to do more, and yeah we are going to have one last conversation between Rikka and Kinomiya...  
there is several stuff pending and I hope to remember all that needs to happen.... if you have an event that was mentioned but it hasn't been given a proper conclusion... please tell me XDD and I'm serious I tend to forget important details because this fic has practically lived in my head only... I don't really have notes for it XD I'm a writer who loves to improvise... which is not really good when it comes to writing XD  
Anyways... as usual, thank you for reading, for the hits, and the kudos <3


	28. Chapter 28

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As some people are finally getting themselves together, there is still a lot of work to do so SolidS can come back after all the events that have been happening during the last weeks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! I'm still alive... just that I've been going through different stages or different moods... most of the times I'm feeling blue and tired as the issue with my exbff still hurts me.... so it was really hard to focus on writing this chapter... and if I wasn't tired for dealing with emotional stuff I was tired from work XD so I'm sorry for the really long wait this time... it is more than obvious that this will not be finished on August...  
Anyways, thank you for sticking around with this story, I really appreciate it!!!

**Chapter 28:**

Dai has felt satisfied knowing that the number of retakes that he has to make were minimal, and now that he is in the last song of his recording, he just needs to have the courage to face Shiki about the hiatus. Once that the audio stops playing and he sees that the leader gives him the thumbs up, Dai knows he can go out of the recording booth and have the so needed conversation.

“That last performance was really good,” Shiki says when he is out.

“Thank you, is it alright if we talk now?” the younger man asks since Hino has not returned yet which makes it the perfect time.

“Judging by your look and your tone of voice you already know about the hiatus, right?”

Dai nods as an answer and Shiki sighs,

“Was it Tsubasa?” the leader wonders.

“Kind of, he told Aya-nee and when we were talking yesterday, she ended up telling me.”

The taller man confesses, he feels bad for putting his sister in such a position, but he must be honest from now and on.

“I see, well guess there’s nothing we can do, you needed to find out about it sooner or later.”

“So, is it true? We are going to be on hiatus?!” Dai asks alarmed, he really wanted to believe that this could be a joke from his sister or some strategy to make him start taking actions.

Shiki sighs, he hopes that Dai can understand what he and Tsubasa have planned and that he can take it in the best possible way.

“Yes, it is real,” the leader states and asks the younger man to wait before commenting, “I am going to announce our hiatus as undefined in the next leaders meeting, but internally we are going to handle a period of 2 months for being out of every single activity.”

“Just the same amount of time as my suspension?” Dai wonders and looks down.

“Precisely for that, we won’t come out as a three people unit, we are four people, SolidS is all of us,” the leader states, “we are all affected by everything that has happened, Dai, my conclusion is that we all need a time out.”

Dai does not really seem convinced with the decision; he wishes Shiki could have asked them all before giving the ultimatum. Nevertheless, he must accept that going back full time with SolidS in this moment would not be the best for him. Not with how things are going with Rikka, still he does not want the unit to be so much time in hiatus.

“What if I work harder? What if …”

“Stop right there and listen to me, a break is necessary, which reminds me,” Shiki stops for a moment to stand up and look up for some documents, “your sister has been taking care of you and thinking pretty well what you need, so take this.”

The leader says as he hands some papers which headline reads as ‘Vacation Request.’

“What?”

“It’s a good idea, take some time off with her, try to go back to feel more like yourself,” Shiki states, “even I’m thinking about going to Nagano for some days while we get to solve this mess.”

Dai looks at the documents, the different pages go around asking for dates, places he will be visiting, time he will be out. He just stares at them thinking if he really deserves such luxury after all the damage he has caused.

“Dai, this will be the best for all of us, there’s no one to blame, there’s no reason for you to keep tormenting yourself.”

“I just, I’m sorry for having disappointed you,” he says lowering his head as he starts to massage his left shoulder.

At this point, it does not matter what Shiki says to him, Dai will always feel responsible for what is happening to SolidS. The leader goes closer and pats Dai’s head.

“We will overcome this, just that we need time.”

Dai nods, he cannot add anything to the discussion, and he can simply do his best so once he is out of his suspension he can come back and work with SolidS at his fullest.

The door gets suddenly opened startling both men, even more Dai once he sees the two people that have arrived, Gou and Rikka.

“Just in time, Rikka,” Shiki comments trying to avoid any possibility of an uncomfortable moment.

“Rikka…” Dai whispers as he stands up.

“Dai…”

Everyone stays in silence hoping that this encounter can be the beginning of their reconciliation. Unfortunately, their expectations do not last long as Suminomiya also gets to the studio to pick Dai and Gou up. It is easily perceived that the interruption was not in the same moment, but still the manager takes the talents with him.

“So, how did it go?” Shiki wonders as he moves to prepare the tracks for Rikka.

“I feel better now, still I need to do a lot before I can really say I have done all my part.”

Shiki nods, he does feel that something has changed within Rikka and he has the hope that it can mean an opening path for them to welcome a new stage for SolidS.

“So ready to record your part?” the leader wonders as he starts working on the tracks.

“Never felt better to sing,” Rikka replies with a smile as he leaves his stuff on a chair and goes straight to the booth.

When the first track starts playing and Rikka has to perform his part, Shiki notices an evident change. Definitely, the talk that the pink haired man had had with Hino has given him a new air to look for solutions instead of staying in a dark loop. The recording this time works better than yesterday as the pauses and corrections are fewer and Rikka seems to take the recommendations with a better mood.

“That’s a closure!” Shiki exclaims with a relief expression, being honest there was a moment he feared he would need to request for an extension on the due date.

“So, everything works?”

“Yes,” the leader simply replies as he saves all the files, he would make another pause to see if Rikka wants and needs to discuss anything else with him, “you already know that the hiatus is happening, don’t you?”

Rikka sighs, it was more than obvious that this will need to be a topic of conversation for them today.

“I do, if I have to express my honest thoughts, I don’t agree with the idea,” the pink haired man express, “as a professional I have never stopped, the only time I thought about it you came to me and proposed me the idea to become an idol.”

Shiki looks at his friend in silence, it is the first time in weeks that Rikka is finally being opened with his feelings whiles talking to him.

“However, this is the first job I’ve ever had in which my feelings are taking into account, in which people around me know I’m not doing ok and they know I need a pause.”

Rikka states, it has been hard for him to accept it, but that morning while he was in the train, he had the time to think about a lot of stuff. Shiki’s decision, his relationship with Dai, the picture that Kinomiya has sent him, his future meeting with Kinomiya. Everything was going around his head, and that was the moment when he finally has accepted it, he needed a time.

“So, as a professional you do not agree, but…”

“As a human being, as someone who feels and has this constant hurricane of emotions inside… I do need the time out,” he sighs after he says the words.

“I see, and in all honesty, I am glad you have come to this conclusion,” Shiki expresses with a small smile, “also, there is no need we need to worry about where to go, I am asking the president to allow us to stay in the dorms in case of necessary, for me it is going to be necessary.”

“What about Tsubasa and… and well Dai?” Rikka asks him, looking away after mentioning the youngest member.

“Tsubasa told me he will stay with me, but that he may also want to make a trip,” the leader replies as he makes sure to text Haiduki for another file of the vacation document that he will need for Tsubasa, “in regards of Dai, he first needs to end up the fake relationship with Hino and then make a decision about where to go.”

“Tsubasa also wants to make a trip? Do you want to make a trip or is it…?”

“Dai, well, his sister is going to force him into a vacation, judging by his face he was not very pleased with the idea,” Shiki states as he puts his cellphone away, “Tho, I’m also thinking about going to my hometown for a weekend.”

The pink haired man remains silence for a while, going on a vacation will be nice, but where will he go? Paris, no way, he is not willing to listen to his dad repeating over and over again that he was sure Dai was going to dump him. Moreover, he is the kind of person that does not like to travel alone.

“Rikka?”

“I’m sorry, I was thinking if I really need a vacation… but I wouldn’t know where to go.”

“Take your time, no need to rush.”

“Understand, thank you, Shiki.”

The leader looks surprised to his friend, is there any specific reason to thank him right now. Shiki keeps a questioning look at Rikka expecting that the model can understand and provide a reasoning behind the last phrase.

“I just… you’ve been way too kind with all this mess and I really hope that in two months we can be all together in the common room talking about the next new song, the next concert…” Rikka pauses, he has felt as his voice has quivered in that last part and so he takes a deep breath.

“We will, you already talked with Hino, that’s something huge,” the leader comments, “Dai has been defending himself pretty well of the constant critics and online comments about his incident, and the movie will be out soon, hopefully after everything related to that production is over we can completely recover and go back.”

Rikka nods and with his right hand he cleans some tears that have found their way through his cheeks.

“Yes, that’s true, I strongly believe none of us is ready to say goodbye to SolidS.”

“And to some relationships,” Shiki adds and Rikka does not look comfortable with that statement, “I’ve told your from the beginning, I’m not forcing you to go back as Dai’s boyfriend, but as his friend, all of us are also friends, Rikka.”

“That’s how we all started…” Rikka trails off thinking about their beginnings.

That short period when everything was awkward and all of them were getting used to living together. Starting to know about their lives, their hobbies, the things they like and also the things they dislike. Those were simple times, but they were also in a way thrilling for Rikka. It was his first time living with people with similar ages, living with people who had a different point of view about the world. Sharing with friends old and new goals.

“A friendship, that will be a good way to restart.”

Shiki nods and smiles, “friends are always necessary and if we are going to keep working together that is a good way for you and Dai to go.”

“Yes, you are right,” the pink haired man replies and stands up, “I think you still have work to do over here, don’t you?”

“Yes, I do, I need to put all of this together to finally take it to Hiwatari Association, I’ll ask Haiduki to take me to avoid any problems.”

“Was it that bad?” Rikka asks, they only know that Shiki was kind of livid during the meeting with Kei Hiwatari.

“Let’s say Haiduki does not allow me to speak with any representative from the company, it’s a miracle he was not here while Hino-san and Suminomiya-san were around, but that might be because he is also taking care of the hiatus stuff…”

“I see… well, let me know when you’re going to the dorms, I’d like to make dinner for you and Tsubasa as a way of thanking you for all the support.”

“Rikka…there’s no need…”

“I want to, ok?” the pink haired man says showing there is no way of making him go back on his idea, and so Shiki nods, “thank you, then, I’ll see you later!”

“See you.”

After Rikka leaves, Shiki sighs and then smiles. His conversation with Rikka was even more productive than the one he had with Dai, which makes him feel a bit disappointed. However, the fact that Rikka and Hino has come in when things were still going on was a disadvantage. Knowing that they are running out of time before the hiatus is announced, Shiki texts Tsubasa to ask him to talk with Dai and make sure that the younger is fine with the decision by now.

*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*

After the photoshoot, the recoding of the videos to promote the movie, and the unexpected meeting with Hiwatari Minako, Dai and Hino are finally heading back to Gou’s apartment.

“Why Hiwatari-san couldn’t wait until tomorrow? We are going to meet her tomorrow too!” Hino complains, she feels more tired than usual and her grumpy side is showing again.

“She wanted to make sure you two are doing well, and she needed to take advantage that you two were at the main building,” Suminomiya tries to reason with the young model and actress.

“Really? Cuz in my opinion she just wanted to break the news that the company wants us to take that vacation period time Dai asked together, don’t you think so Dai?”

The young man has been preoccupied thinking on how to inform his sister that her dream family vacation will now include a third person; therefore, he has not been consciously following the conversation.

“Apologies, I was distracted,” Dai sincerely expresses and looks as Hino cannot keep her seriousness as she starts laughing.

“Sorry, sorry, your face was looking dumb but also cute at the same time,” Gou replies as she apologies, “anyways, Suminoiya-san, be honest!”

“Fine, fine, we were informed by Haiduki-san about Murase-san’s vacation, so you know how things are in our company.”

“That’s why I believe I have the right to reject this request, plus it’s only going to make my agenda more complicated,” Hino states since she does not want to interfere even more with Dai’s life.

They get to the apartment’s building, Suminomiya feeling defeated by Hino’s constant complaints states that he will try to see if it is possible to reject said request. Although, he is cleared on not promising anything.

“I still will talk with my sister, so she knows what is going on,” Dai tells Hino once they are walking together to get to the woman’s apartment.

“It’d be better, I know how stubborn everyone in this freaking company can be, even I’m stubborn.”

Dai giggles at the phrase and Gou looks at him with curious eyes.

“I think there’s no need to add that you are stubborn, although be careful on being too stubborn, you may lose more than expected.”

The sudden change in Dai’s voice and looking at him touching his left shoulder makes Hino wonders about that past that they have not talked about it yet. When they get to the elevator, she clears her throat and hopes for the words to come out.

“So… did it happen for being stubborn?” she wonders without looking at him.

“Pretty much, it was the only thing I used to do, wanted to be faster, to be the best,” Dai replies and she sees as his eyes reflect the hidden sadness that this part of Dai’s life brings, “it didn’t work as we already know, so you better be careful.”

The woman is taken aback, especially by the melancholic smile that the young man shows to her. As the elevator reaches their destination, Hino slightly hits Dai’s left arm and laughs.

“Tho… I’m glad it went that way… I was able to meet you thanks to that,” she expresses almost inaudible, but still Dai could listen to her.

The moment is cut off by the sudden clapping, Kinomiya Takato is right there looking at them.

“Bravo to the loveliest, but fake, couple of the moment,” the man says with a sarcastic tone.

Hino is more than ready to go and hit the guy, if he is still not satisfied with his purple eye and the still swollen lip, she can totally help him out to get a more extreme look. Nevertheless, as Dai notices her rising anger, he stops her.

“Gou, it’s better if you go inside, my sister already texted me, so let’s prevent any unfortunate event,” Dai tells her in a low tone of voice.

She looks at him and internally is dying to give a lesson to Kinomiya, but she knows that Dai is right. The movie premier is getting closer and another scandal, and even more with the same person, will cause a terrible drama to the production.

“Understand, see you tomorrow, take care,” Gou replies after a while and before opening the door of her apartment, she looks with furious eyes to the photographer as treating him of not doing anything to Dai.

Once that Gou has gone inside her apartment, Dai turns around and push the elevator button again. He is conscious that Kinomiya is still there and before the elevator can reach that floor again, the photographer gets close to him.

“You know, I’m not giving you back Rikka, not after I found him again,” the man whispers into Dai’s ear.

The younger man looks away, he cannot react to any of the provoking comments this guy can make.

“We will meet tomorrow, and you know, maybe he needs to release some tension and I am more than willing to help him with it. He will be mine again.”

The elevator’s doors are opened, and Dai takes a deep breath.

“If you are such a disgusting human that sees Rikka as trophy, then, I do not have to worry about you,” Dai replies, “Rikka is an intelligent free man who deserves respect, not some kind of guy who will jump in into the first opportunity for a random moment of pleasure.”

The doors are closed before any reply from Kinomiya can be given and once he is out of that man’s view, Dai hits the wall. He feels as his heart is racing fast and his whole body is trembling due to the anger. The young man runs a hand through his hair, why is Rikka going to see that man again? Are they really going back? When the ring of the elevator indicates that he has reached the first floor, he mentally slaps himself, he cannot get distracted by this.

As he said to Kinomiya, Rikka is free and thus he is able to choose whatever he wants for his life. He walks towards the back part of the building, looking for his sister’s car as quick as possible and as usual opens the passenger door and quickly sits.

“Dai-chan!!! I’m so happy to see you, how are you doing?” the voice is more than familiar to Dai who jumps out in surprise when realizing that there was someone else in the back part of the car.

“Tsubasa???” he expresses and looks confused at his sister.

“He said Takamura-san told him to make sure you were doing fine and asked me if he could come for a while,” Aya explains, “you know I rarely can say no to Tsu-kun.”

“That summarized pretty well, don’t worry, I’m just going for an hour, Shiki also told me to be back at 8pm, so I can’t stay that long.”

The blonde man explains, still with that huge smile.

“Whatever… let’s just go… ok?”

By the way he said the last part Tsubasa and Aya are more than sure that something just happens. Nonetheless, they will wait until getting home to talk in a more comfortable environment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, I'm terrible sorry as I feel the chapter was kind of short... or didn't have any exciting event going on... or maybe I'm too dead inside to feel that there was something going on XDD who knows... also most of this was written in the last hour and I didn't check for any grammar or spelling mistake as I felt I NEEDED to update.... so sorry for that...


	29. Chapter 29

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Given the right closure, that is Rikka's main objective when he decided he needed to talk one more time with Takato Kinomiya, and he hopes more than anything to be able to close this chapter of his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!!!!!  
I'm so sorry.... I had had such an awful writer's block for this fic...   
I had to practically reread the last 5 chapters XD and asked my little sis to read part of this chapter to see if it was making sense with all the previous events... so finally... an update!   
I'm not even going to talk about how many chapters are left....   
Thank you for keep reading this project, love you with all my heart!

**Chapter 29:**

The way to Aya’s department has been mostly in silence, only occasionally there was a comment from Tsubasa, but there was no reply from Dai, so Aya has tried to answer back to most of those comments. When they get to be inside the apartment, Tsubasa does not take any consideration and goes straight to the point.

“Ok, spill it out, are you like this because of the hiatus? Did something happen with Hino? Any other online comment that has driven you into your all-alone-corner of self-destruction?”

Even Aya looks surprised at Tsubasa, especially for the way in which he has asked the question. No hesitation, no compassion, no going around the bushes.

“Nothing happened with Gou… we’re actually getting along…” Dai replies quietly.

“So? The hiatus?” Aya is the one who pressures a bit more now, they all have taken a seat in the living room and now that she is with Tsubasa, she feels more supported to get Dai to talk.

“I… I’m disappointed with the hiatus, but I understand what Shiki wants, and I understand why you agreed with him,” he replies and looks up at Tsubasa.

The blonde man smiles and goes to sit next to Dai and rubs his hair.

“Then, what is it? The way you got into the car and your behavior shows that something happened, and can you please stop touching your shoulder like that? makes me feel like you got injured again!”

Aya expresses, the last part she says it almost screaming and immediately biting her thumbnail, Dai immediately stops and puts his right hand down and closes his eyes. Thinking about his encounter with Takato makes him feel frustrated.

“I saw Kinomiya, he told me he will see Rikka tomorrow, is that true?”

Dai finally responses and he dares to ask to his friend. Tsubasa nods and when he notices the change on his childhood friend’s expression, the blonde man knows he needs to explain a bit more.

“Listen to me first,” Tsubasa says and is practically begging both siblings to pay attention to him, “I believe Rikka thinks he needs to tie all the loose ends to find peace and a final solution to whatever this has become, he is going little by little, I’m sure you already know but he went to talk today with Hino-san.”

“Did he?” Dai asks him.

“Hino didn’t tell you?”

Dai shakes his head and seems to be totally lost; however, now it makes sense that he has seen Rikka and Gou getting to the studio together.

“She didn’t tell me, but that explains why they were together,” Dai whispers and the curiosity to know what they talked about it hits him hard, “do you know what they talked about?”

“I haven’t seen Rikka since this morning, I was actually hoping you could tell me everything!”

Both men look with disappointment at each other until Aya clears his throat.

“At least, do you know why Sera-san is going to meet with Kinomiya? Is he really going to finish any kind of connection with that guy?”

Tsubasa gets back to his senses and remembers again his conversation with Rikka, “that’s what I understood, I’m convinced Rikka knows how much damage this guy caused to the unit, and according to Shiki, he hurt Rikka pretty bad in the past.”

“I see, so, Dai-chan, you don’t really have to worry about that man anymore,” Aya expresses as she stands up, “hopefully, after tomorrow he will become a bad memory for SolidS.”

“True, true, no need for worries about that asshole,” the blonde man adds patting Dai’s back, “well, guess it’s time for me to go.”

Aya looks surprised by the sudden statement and even Dai stares at Tsubasa.

“You’re not staying for dinner?” the woman asks being hurt by the words.

“Nope, I told you, Shiki was clear that I needed to go back before 8pm, and right now I prefer to take a taxi,” Tsubasa expresses and Aya pouts, “I promise I’ll come back another day to have your delicious food.”

“You better do, take care, come on I’ll make you some company until you get the taxi,” the older sibling offers herself.

“I appreciate it, but let’s not get unnecessary attention, so far everything has been working, but SolidS must be more careful now than ever.”

Aya looks at Tsubasa, for a moment she wants to argue, but she understands the position of the unit. Therefore, she indicates to Tsubasa to leave through the back part of the building and walk two blocks to the east and then one more block towards the main street to get to the station where it will be easier to get a taxi. Having said and heard all he needed, Tsubasa waves goodbye to the siblings and seems to be happier and calmer by having seen Dai.

“See you, take care!” Aya repeats one more time and then the door is closed, “I really wanted him to stay for dinner…”

She says when they are alone, and Dai raises his eyebrow.

“Am I so boring?”

“Nope, but handling you has been hard! I’m not gonna lie, Dai-chan,” the older sibling says and immediately she feels as her eye twitches when she looks at her brother, “If you touch your shoulder one more time, I’ll force you to cancel everything to take you to the doctor!”

Aya expresses with a firm voice and without breaking eye contact with Dai.

“Don’t be so dramatic, when I stressed it hurts, it’s normal,” the younger man replies as he stands up, “come on, I’ll help you to make dinner.”

*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*

When he wakes up, he feels extremely anxious, last night the dinner time he shared with Shiki and Tsubasa have been great. They all talked, avoiding of course topics that could bring them to an argument, but it felt just like the days before the movie had come into their lives.

Now, he has to get ready to face Takato Kinomiya one more time. Rikka knows that even if Takato was the one who crossed the limits and got them, as a unit, into problems, he was the responsible for having allowed him back in his life and giving him all the wrong signs. The pink haired man gets up from bed, he really wishes he could cancel this, but he cannot run away. Slowly, but making sure of being ready on time, he starts to go through his daily routine, getting his hair done, making sure he looks good for him and anyone he has to meet.

Once he is done with how he looks, Rikka quickly goes to the kitchen, thinking about how nervous he feels, it will not be a good idea to eat a lot for breakfast. Therefore, he opts to just have green tea, he takes some time to think about what to say, about all the possible scenarios that can come out from this. When the thoughts are becoming too overwhelming for him, he knows it’s time to stand up and take his leave, getting himself busy with something else, even if it is just walking to the station, will help him to regain control over himself.

His plan was to leave before Shiki or Tsubasa could wake up, but as he turns around to go to the hall, he is face to face with the blonde idol.

“Rikka? Already leaving?”

“Yes, Takato and I agree to meet at 11, I’m trying to leave earlier so I can have some time to think and relax,” the older replies with a wry smile.

Tsubasa walks to get closer to Rikka and takes his hands and smiles at the pink haired man.

“Just do and say what will make your heart feel at peace, I know the right words and actions will get to you at the right moment,” Tsubasa tells him and then pats his head, “go on, I’ll invent something so Shiki does not get curious.”

“Thank you, Tsubasa.”

Without further words, Rikka takes his leave. He feels more than blessed that this week his schedule has so many free spaces as he does not really know how he will react after the conversation with Kinomiya. Even more, knowing that his next step will be his conversation with Dai.

“Dai…” he whispers as the elevator’s doors open, but before his mind start to think too much about the younger man, he stops himself.

Today he has to be focused on Kinomiya, no one else. Rikka has to be strong and determined to let Takato know that he has to leave his life for good.

*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*

They know that it does not matter the place, there is always the risk to be seen by journalists or anyone who wants to become popular on the internet through a simple post that can cause controversy. Nevertheless, expecting to have more privacy, Rikka and Takato have agreed to meet in Asakusabashi, it is far away from most of the media and the streets are way more calmed than in Shibuya or Chiyoda.

Rikka has gotten to the place thirty minutes earlier and since he does not want to catch the attention by waiting outside, he has sent a text informing Takato that he will be waiting inside. He does not order a lot, just a tea that has already gotten cold and that he has barely tasted.

If only he could go back to the day when he met up again with Takato? If he could only stop himself from accepting him back in his life?

“If I could go back…” Rikka whispers as he thinks that he would actually try and change the moment when he really lost his mind with Hino, but unfortunately, there is no way to change his actions.

When he is starting to feel desperate by seeing that there is no sign of Takato yet, Rikka takes his cellphone and is about to call him. However, he stops there, he has to stop demanding actions from Takato, if the man wants to be late, then let him be, Rikka thinks.

It does not take long for the man to show up and the pink haired sighs in relief, he is more than sure than waiting five minutes more will have caused him to go back in his word and he would have called.

“Rikka, how are you doing?” Kinomiya greets him as he takes a seat.

“So far, so good, what about you?” Rikka asks him and takes a look at the man’s face, there is minimum signs of the bruises as they have started to vanish.

“Well, with a lot of free time, not many companies want to hire a photographer that cause such ruckus in his last job,” the man states, “which I don’t believe is the case for your coworker.”

Rikka knows that this is part of the strategy that Takato will try to use to emotionally sabotage him and make him feel guilty for his current situation. One of the things he has been preparing for before coming here. Therefore, he ignores the part in which Kinomiya refers to Dai, and without making any comment about the unit’ future state, Rikka keeps going with the conversation.

“I hope your situation gets better, as long as I know you have a contract with that new magazine that sent you abroad a couple of weeks ago, right?”

The pink haired man expresses and quickly Takato’s expression changes, Rikka has predicted one of his moves. This time the model will not fall so easy into his tricks.

“I do, but my next project with them is in a month, in the meantime I gotta look what I can do to get an income.”

The response does make Rikka feel uncomfortable and guilty, again he has to remind himself that the consequences that Takato are facing are because of his own actions.

“I’m sure you’ll find a way, and hopefully this other job you have will become more stable,” Rikka quickly adds, he cannot allow himself to keep going around that issue or he will definitely fall into a guilt trip that he will not be able to escape.

“Appreciate it, but let’s be honest, this is not the reason why we agreed on meeting, right?”

Rikka nods and takes a sip of his tea. Now this is the difficult part, expressing his real feeling without making the situation more confusing.

“None of us have acted as mature adults,” Rikka starts talking and still hoping his thoughts can come out as organized as possible.

“Fair enough, I know I shouldn’t provoke that guy.”

Rikka raises his right hand, asking Kinomiya to allow him to talk first. If he does not do it now while he is having control of himself, then he will not be able to say all he needs.

“I feel sorry that you have come into my life again at the wrong time, I was vulnerable, I was feeling alone, just like in the past.”

The first time they have met, Rikka was only 18 years old, he was still desperate trying to feel something. Trying to find someone who could make his heart feel alive, at that time he did have a good friendship with Shiki, but he was so greedy that he needed more. That is the moment when Kinomiya got into his life.

Takato was a young man, a free-lancer photographer looking for opportunities, but he did not really like to work hard for them. Kinomoya was more the type to rely on luck or other people’s favor to accomplish his goals. One day, the man replaced the photographer that was supposed to be in charge of Rikka’ session, and when the work was done, Takato didn’t waste any time to wrapped Rikka into his circle of friends with benefits.

“Back then, it was reasonable for me to fall into your tricks, even if I have been in the industry for quite a long time, I was still craving for real human interaction, not just the ‘well done,’ or ‘great work’ that the staff could give.”

Kinomiya stares in silence, he knows that their first relationship was him just looking for more connections through Rikka. Even if they did not say they were a couple, the simple fact of going with Rikka to any location would give him the chance to provide his card and wait for a work offer, a perfect plan in which he did not have to work his ass to get fame.

“I was the same now, I was too overwhelmed to think about fixing and I was focus on replacing what caused me pain,” the pink haired man states and looks up at Kinomiya.

“So, you do accept that you were using me?”

“I do, maybe I didn’t want to admit it at the beginning because I know how much it hurts thanks to you.”

The moment when he knew that there was no real love coming from Takato, the moment when he realized that he was just being a tool was painful. Nevertheless, the worst of all was when he forgave Takato for being so desperate for love.

“If it wouldn’t have been for Shiki and his constant ‘that guy is no good for you,’ I would have been with you for a longer time, the damage will have been bigger and I would have really lost myself.”

“I’m a different now,” Takato interrupts Rikka’s words, “you know I’m different.”

“In regards of your professional path, yes, you are different, you have become a photographer that can have any kind of contract, that can perform any kind of job without taking advantage of anyone else.”

Rikka expresses without losing eye contact with the man and without hesitation.

“But… as a person… you still have a rotten heart, you took advantage of the personal situation that me and Dai are going through to make him lose control, and I know both agencies protected Dai, but still, we are also facing consequences.”

“Really? Consequences? Tell me Rikka, are you jobless?”

“We are going on hiatus… after the concert there will be no SolidS for an undefined period.”

The statement silences Takato, he has not heard anything about it, not even from his most trustful sources.

“So, yes, we will also face consequences for what happened,” the pink haired man keeps going, “my friends, Shiki, Tsubasa, and Dai, all of us are facing an uncertain future right now.” 

“I… I am sorry, I did not know about it,” the man responses, he knows his opportunities are gone.

There is a pause, Rikka needs to regain his braveness, he has left out a huge part of what he needs to say, but he still needs to give closure to this.

“I know you are not the only villain in this story, Takato, I also did wrong,” the man states, “that’s why I needed to see you again to say sorry,” Rikka expresses and quickly, he keeps going, “this time, I felt I had the power in what could have possibly been our relationship, I saw you going after me, craving for me, and damn… I like seeing you in that position.”

Takato raises his eyebrow, he sure did not know this side of Rikka.

“Therefore, I apologize, I cannot place you as the only villain, when I know I drag you into this and I did not stop it on time.”

“This feels like you are saying goodbye for once and for all, am I right?”

Rikka takes a deep breath, this is the final part, the moment he wishes he could skip.

“It is, I should have know from the start that you and I together was not a good idea,” the man says, “we had a past, and it was not a good one, I was hurt by you, and we never look for a way to give a closure to that relationship before trying this… whatever this was.”

Another moment of silence, Rikka is starting to feel uncomfortable, he has said it all, he has achieved his goal and that is why he feels that he needs to run away now.

“I feel that today, my past self also wants to scream at you, to slap your face, but since I also did wrong, I’m more than satisfied with just putting an end to everything.”

“This is not what I wanted, not at all,” Takato suddenly says and then laughs, “pinky… you have become a strong man, I’m surprised.”

The man stands up and takes a deep breath.

“Seems that that guy knows you better than I do, and I will do as you wish, I will not interfere anymore with you.”

It was strange, Rikka thought that Takato would not give in so easily. Moreover, hearing those words hurt the pink haired man a little bit; maybe knowing that the sensation of power of having control over someone will be lost is the real cause of the pain. At least, Rikka wants to believe that, as well as he will believe Takato’s word and will not question the man.

“I hope SolidS can overcome the hiatus soon.”

“I hope you can find good jobs soon,” Rikka replies to the comment and also stands up.

“One last hug?” Kinomiya asks.

“Don’t play your luck, it’s better if we just go our own ways.”

Rikka says and does in that way, he gives one last smile to the man, probably as a way of saying thanks for having made him company during this time, or perhaps to give one last and gentle view to the man. Being honest, he is uncertain of the reason why he smiles at Takato, but it feels as a good way to give closure to this.

*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°

A new week has begun, and it is now time for the leaders meeting. Usually Shiki will be complaining about how much time this takes away from his schedule and the delays that it can cause, stating that it will be much better if Haiduki would just pass him over the information. Nevertheless, this time, he knows he is the one who has to represent SolidS without an excuse.

As the routine demands, the president provides the sales information, the improvement each unit has in the market and an overview of the future projects that the company is planning for each unit. Looking at it, it seems that every unit has a positive outcome, but he can clearly remember SolidS’ numbers from last meeting and even if it was not a big change, their numbers have decreased.

It’s now the turn for the leaders to talk about their units, about what they are aiming as a group and individually. Shiki feels as his heart speeds up, this time he does not have a group goal, he does not have any individual goal for him or his partners. All he has is the notice for SolidS’ hiatus, he does not even pay attention when Shun finishes with his report and mentions his name so he can keep going.

“Shi-kun? Are you ready?” the president is the one who makes him react.

He sees all the curious looks, but he distinguishes the terrified look that Shu is given at him. Of course, Shu already knows that he could not think of any other option and the hiatus will become official.

“I’m fine, I’m sorry,” Takamura expresses and clears his throat, “I… I will assume that all of you already know about the recent events that happened with one of our members, but I know that not everyone is aware that internally we are also having some situations that we need to solve.”

He makes a pause, he sees the puzzle look in Sora, Kouki, Shou and Roa; Shiki sees as Takaaki has also predicted what he is thinking. Takamura can identify that even Hajime and Shun already have an idea of what he is about to say.

“Shi-kun?” the president calls him out, it is more than clear that the president does not want to hear what he is about to say.

“Today, as SolidS leader, I cannot present any of our future goals, not as a unit, not as individual talents,” he feels as his heart aches, but his decision has been made, “all members have agreed and that is why SolidS will start an undefined hiatus starting from this week.”

Several voices speak at the same time, most of them asking why, asking if it is real.

“We will perform our last scheduled show that Hiwatari Association has requested us, but after that we will take a time out.”

The voices do not stop until the president asks for silence. He accepts what Shiki has provided as SolidS’ report and asks Shu to keep going.

If only Shiki could leave the room, he will do it without a doubt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... I hope it has been a good chapter since there has been a long wait for it....   
I really, really apologize for the long wait... having a writer's block and still dealing with my own emotions for situations that happened back in March has been a real pain XD plus the fact that there was Tsubasa's bday and I wanted to write for his bday <3  
Anyways... if you have any thought about the chapter or want to kill me for any reason, let me know XD  
PD: Being honest.... I was too closed to cry when writing Shiki's part announcing the hiatus TT.TT


	30. Chapter 30

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The hiatus has been announced, SolidS as a unit and as individual talents are starting an uncertain path in which they need to work on the conflicts that brought them to this point.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess what? A year ago I started posting this fic, so as a bithday celebration to this fic today I'm posting a new chapter, happy birthday 'Dangerous Jealousy' XDDD... the 30th chapter... the one I thought it was going to finish this story but nope... it can still go on for a bit more...   
What I want to say after a year of writing this?   
THANK YOU! thank you for the hits, the kudos, and the comments, every time I receive a comment on this fic I get to feel extremely happy, it always makes my day to see your opnions about it and it's what keeps me going.

**Chapter 30**

Right after the meeting, Shiki has been called by the president, of course, there was no way Mikoto Tsukino would accept the hiatus so easily. Nevertheless, Shiki has also explained to him the agreement that all the members have made and the only way that the Tsukino accepted was to keep it away from the media as much as possible; or at least for the first two months. If after that period that they have agreed to be out there was no visible solution, they will have to make an official communication to the press and obviously their fans.

“I hope we do not have to call any journalist in two months,” Tsukino expresses before Shiki leaves the office.

“I hope so too, thank you president.”

The leader replies and leaves the office. The knot on his stomach and throat is still there, it has been there since the beginning of the meeting and it seems that for today it will not leave him. Shiki sighs and takes the elevator, all he wants now is to go to the dorm, review the agenda for the upcoming concert and plan his days off in Nagano. However, his so needed rest does not seem possible as for now.

As he goes out of the elevator, Shiki sees the leaders waiting for him, Shu being the one who walks towards him first with an expression that breaks Shiki’s heart.

“Shiki, we all want to talk with you, can we?” QUELL’s leader asks him and knowing that in order to avoid rumors around the dorms he needs to talk to them, he accepts.

The leaders move to a small room which is usually used as a waiting room for any person that comes to apply for a work position in Tsukipro. There are not many chairs in the room, but that does not matter, all of them need to know if there is anything, they can do to help SolidS right now. Shiki is one of the few people that gets to sit, and he immediately feels as all the looks are over him.

“Shiki-san, I will go straight to the point, what happened to SolidS?” Hajime is the one who dares to start the conversation as the closer leaders to Shiki have become hesitant on how to proceed.

“As I mentioned in the meeting, there are certain personal issue we need to solve,” the man expresses, he does not want to reveal now or at any time any of the personal relationships that have developed in his unit.

“Is there something we might be able to help? Maybe an outsider’s point of view can help,” Shun continues but Shiki does not seem to soft towards the idea.

“All of us have agreed that taking a time off to relax, get lost for a bit… you know, the necessary, would be the best for now.”

There is silence in the room, Shiki believes that they have finally understood their situation, and that there is not much to talk about it. Or at least that is what he thought, a sudden and strong noise gets everyone’s attention, Takaaki has hit the table with his fist.

“Takaaki, calm down, please,” Roa says and reaching out to place his hands over Mamiya’ shoulders.

“Are you telling me you are also going to leave this behind too? I could understand it in the past” Takaaki tells without paying too much attention to Roa, “I know our old unit could have never worked the way you wanted, and that’s why we let you go, but why letting go of SolidS?”

The anger is obviously there, and it has brought a bit of tension to the atmosphere, the youngest leaders being totally lost on what to do.

“Takaaki, please, as Roa said, calm down,” Shu interferes and somehow it feels like in the old times, like those days when Shiki started having the idea of leaving their former unit.

“I understand Takaaki’s passionate reaction, but, I also understand that sometimes we need to disconnect from everything to come back even stronger,” Shou who has been quietly observing the situation sates, “After the old unit you all belong to disbanded, many things have happened and we cannot judge by the past the actions of the present.”

“I trust my friends, my partners in SolidS” Shiki suddenly expresses, “I trust them to know that we will be back, I am not abandoning the unit nor running away… but…”

“It is necessary,” Kouki concludes, he does not really know what is going on with SolidS but judging from Shiki’s face he understands how much they need this break.

Shiki nods, and feels as if a weight has been lifted from his shoulders, he does not need all the leaders to comprehend the situation, just some of them will be enough.

“For how long? You all should have an idea… right?” Sora questions, time is always important and if during that time they can do anything that is on their hands to help them to come back, they will do it.

“If things don’t work out in 2 months will give an official hiatus announcement, for now the president will just keep the attention on all of you and making it see as SolidS is taking a break after the movie… kind of ‘we need to get used to work with one of our members living out of the dorms.’”

Shiki can see as most of them are now believing that SolidS’ difficult situation is about having Dai living in a different place, if only they could know how complicated that issue really is. Nevertheless, he will take that as an advantage, it can definitely work as the cover they need to use for the units.

“You guys better come back by then,” Takaaki expresses breaking the silence again and before things can get too tensed, Roa slaps him on the head.

“I think what he wants to say is that we have seen how happy you are with SolidS, and we want you to keep being happy with them.”

“I agree with Roa, that’s why once again if we can help, just say it, Shiki,” Shu continues and looks at everyone and then at Shiki so he can understand that all the leaders are willing to help, even if they don’t have all the pieces of the puzzle.

“I appreciate it, for now… I need to go back to the dorms.”

It is not really necessary to go back, but he is not good at handling this kind of stuff. The rest of the leaders do not question any further and know that even if they would have loved to stop the hiatus, the most they can do is to support SolidS on their own way. Shiki says goodbye and leaves letting a room filled with silence.

*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*

Tsubasa and Rikka have been working together through all the morning, interviews and photoshoots have been part of their agenda; and during the afternoon they will go to rehearsals for the upcoming concert. Luckily, things between them have been much better; just some days ago Tsubasa had been there for Rikka as soon as he came back from his conversation with Takato Kinomiya.

The blonde man had shown his complete support to the model, letting him know that the action he took and the words he said were perfect to give a closure to that situation with that guy. The best of all is that Tsubasa feels as Rikka is really coming back and looking to solve all the different situations with a stronger determination.

As they leave the recording room of the radio station they have visited, the blonde man hears as Rikka sighs and he can notice the nostalgic aura around the smaller man.

“Anything wrong?” Tsubasa wonders, his bright smile never leaving his expression.

“When they asked us about our future plans… I felt bad thinking that for the next couple of months we will not have any certainty in our future as a unit,” Rikka replies in all honesty.

It is true, the last two interviews had the same questions, “what’s the future for SolidS?” He had seen as Rikka had gone totally blanked in those two moments reason why he had taken over the questions, giving a general answer like: more music, more projects, and more stuff for our fans.

“I’m sorry I was not able to back you up the way I should have,” the pink haired man adds and then he sighs once again, “most likely, Shiki has already announced our hiatus to the president and the other units.”

“Yes… I hope he is doing alright,” Tsubasa says, thinking about the gloomy expression Shiki had that morning makes his heart aches.

“He will,” Rikka states, “Tsubasa, I know I also need to talk with Dai… and I hope that once I talk to him, we can get this hiatus over.”

“Dai-chan will be happy when you get to talk to him,” Tsubasa says, feeling excited for the conversation those two will eventually have, “you know? After he sent you one message and not getting a response, Dai-chan really thought there was no way for you two to talk ever again.”

The younger man expresses as they are now getting to the parking lot where Haiduki is waiting for them. Nevertheless, Rikka stops their way to the car and looks at Tsubasa with a puzzle expression.

“A message? From the day after we broke up?” Rikka questions hoping that Tsubasa is really referring about any of those messages, those are the only ones he didn’t reply to Dai.

“No, I can’t remember the exact day, but it was after that and he was still in Kyoto when he messaged you,” the blonde man clarifies.

Rikka is getting more stressed and frustrated, he cannot recall receiving messages from Dai after their last conversation. Was he so focused on keeping a conversation with Kinomiya back then that he ignored any message from Dai? He knows that right now they have their time measure and they need to move to the rehearsal location without any delay, but Rikka needs to check. He takes out his cellphone to look up his conversation history with Dai but finds it completely empty.

“My cellphone…”

“Rikka?” Tsubasa has come closer to the pink haired man to try and see what is going on.

“My cellphone broke, remember? I had to buy a new one, I lost everything, contacts and old conversations!”

Rikka runs a hand through his hair, looking at the few active chats he has had during the last couple of weeks and none of them is with Dai. The younger man should have sent the message just the day it broke, how unlucky could they be for something like that to happen?

“Wait, don’t you save your conversations or do a backup for your cellphone?”

“I do! I always try to keep a copy or save all the important stuff, but I was not being myself during those days, so I didn’t work it out on time.”

Rikka’s voice is breaking, what if they could have been able to talk back then? Probably the incident with Takano wouldn’t have happened, the hiatus wouldn’t have come to be real, so many things will have been stopped on time.

“I hate my luck, damn it!” Rikka curses and covers his face with one of his hands.

“Hey, hey, don’t be so hard on yourself, that was an accident, something that can be explained,” Tsubasa tells him before he can go deeper into the self-hatred moment.

“I just… so many things could have been stopped…”

“Would you have answered the message back then?” Tsubasa asks him, looking at Rikka straight into his eyes.

The pink orbs immediately show hesitation; while Dai was still in Kyoto, he couldn’t think about forgiving him, he couldn’t even accept his own fault on this situation. Rikka knows that the event that made him see the reality and forced him to open his eyes was when Dai hit Kinomiya. In that moment, he understood what Dai felt when he hurt Hino, he understood how it feels to see the person you care about becoming someone different.

“I wouldn’t… I wouldn’t have replied,” Rikka admits, “The moment when I wanted to solve all this mess was when everything came to be in danger, Dai’s reputation, our relationships… SolidS’ future.”

The pink haired man replies with all honesty, it has taken him so long to accept his responsibility in all of this.

“That’s why, don’t regret about something that wouldn’t have make any difference,” Tsubasa tells him, “we cannot fix the past, but we can work in the present for a better future, for you, for Dai-chan, and of course for SolidS.”

“I…”

The smaller man stops himself before speaking, he knows Tsubasa is right, he knows there is nothing he can do now about the past, but he still feels so bad for every single consequence that they have faced in the last weeks.

“I just really wish I could make everything better for all of us now, I don’t want to keep waiting, I don’t want to not know what is going to happen,” Rikka sincerely says, he let his shoulders down and he even allow some tears to show.

“I also hate the uncertainty and not being able to have full control of the situation, but it does not mean we cannot take it back, right?” the blonde man says as he locks his arm with Rikka’s, “now, let’s stop on that for now and let’s hurry to our dance practice, we gotta give our best in this last show, don’t you think?”

“We really have to,” the older man responses and takes a deep breath.

They get to where Haiduki is waiting for them, the manager seems like he was ready to call them as they had taken longer than expected to get to the car.

“Sorry Fumi-chan, we had a necessary conversation,” Tsubasa is the one who apologizes for them.

“I see, I also have some news, the hiatus is _internally_ official now,” the bespectacled man expresses with a tiny spark of hope.

“Why internally official?”

“The president does not want to make it known to the public now, he will also wait the two months,” he lets them know and see as both men react with happiness.

Rikka is more than sure that he will need to thank the president for forcing Shiki into this. Now, his determination to work on his relationship with Dai is stronger as their fans would not even notice the hiatus if they can really solve the mess in two months.

“Does Dai-chan already know?”

“Not yet, Shiki will get to talk to him tomorrow during their dance practice, so don’t you dare to send him the message,” the manager states as he asks them to get in the car, “let’s see this hiatus as vacation time now, we will be back in business in 2 months.”

“Yes!” Rikka and Tsubasa eagerly say as they get on their way to their practice.

*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*

All the recording and scheduled interviews and photoshoots for the movie are over. Nevertheless, as they are supposed to be a couple, they need to keep going out together and getting as much exposure as possible.

“I’m sorry,” Hino says as they go around one of the most popular shopping centers in Shibuya.

“It’s alright, you had to be with me during my singing lessons,” Dai replies, he has believed that being there should have been the most boring event for the girl.

“It was pretty interesting to be honest, your singing professor is pretty good too,” she comments as she looks around some clothes trying to find something that can get her attention.

“Good and patient, I felt I was not really focused during the class.”

And how could he be focused? He is aware that the meeting was today, that by now the units and the president know that SolidS will be out. Even though, Shiki has told him not to feel responsible for the decision, he cannot. Dai has been a mess, everything he has done during the production of this movie has only brought problems to SolidS.

“The hiatus?” Gou suddenly asks him as she has gotten closer to him with the excuse of seeing how a shirt would look on him.

“Yeah… I believe that by now it is known by everyone in Tsukipro,” the man replies and takes a cap which he puts on Hino, “looks good on you.”

“Takamura-san said it would be 2 months, keep that on mind,” the girl replies as she looks at herself in the mirror, “it does look good, you have a good sense for this.”

Gou keeps the cap on and keeps looking around, grabbing another shirt and repeating the previous action.

“Are you looking for clothes for the trip?” Dai asks her, trying to avoid the topic about the hiatus.

“Is it that obvious?” she wonders, and he nods, “Sorry… I would have loved that the company wouldn’t have included me, but…”

“It’s alright, after nee-san knew that Hiwatari Association would pay for everything she didn’t care at all, she said that thanks to that we can have another vacation time for us when this is all over,” Dai wryly laughs as he remembers the weird outcome; his sister wouldn’t normally take free stuff, like this trip, but it was more than a fact that she has loved the idea this time. 

“Hearing that makes me feel relieved,” the actress admits as she sighs and Dai raises his eyebrows curious by that reaction, “don’t be that surprised, all SolidS hates me, I got to think that your sister will also hate me.”

Dai scratches the back of his head, his sister did have something against her at the beginning and it is also true that Gou had a bad beginning with SolidS as well, but he is responsible of that. Back then he used to complain a lot about Gou’s habits and the need to go out every day. He has pointed at her as the main reason why he broke up with Rikka, and although those things were true one way or another, Dai knows that it was not the best way to go.

“It was a bad start with them, but I believe that can change,” he mentions as he shows some sunglasses to Hino.

“Might be too late for that, and as long as you are in good terms with all of them, it does not really matter what they think about me,” she replies seeing how the shades look on her.

“Gou… you talked with Rikka, right?”

Dai finally dares to ask her, it’s been a couple of days since he has known that Gou spoke with his ex-boyfriend, but so far, the actress has not said a word about the conversation to Dai. The model stays in silence for a while, and places some of the sunglasses back, then she sighs, Gou knows she cannot keep that as a secret from Dai.

“I did, I believed it was the less I could do,” she expresses as she moves ahead to go to pay for the stuff she has chosen to buy.

Most likely they will be moving to a different place to have a better control of their environment, thus, Dai does not pressure or demand more from the girl. He has gotten to know her a bit better to understand that now she wants them to have privacy to talk, he waits for her closed to the shop’s entrance and once she is ready, Dai offers his hand to her so she can lead them to their next stop.

Dai can notice as Gou glances over the places trying to look for one that can have enough space, so no one gets closer to them. After walking through some of the different floors and finally getting with a coffee shop that is not overcrowded and does not look like a place that attracts too many people at this time, the girl indicates Dai to go in there. They order a smoothie and a frappuccino, plus two pastries, once that the order is ready, the couple goes to take a seat. Gou looks a bit uncomfortable, thinking about how to justify her conversation with Rikka, that is until Dai speaks again.

“I want to thank you for speaking with him,” Dai states, “I don’t know what happened between you two, but I assume it happened during the recording day and… I could perceive that something changed with Rikka, so thank you.”

Hino feels as if a wave of calmness has gone through all her body, she has been seriously worried about Dai’s reaction. Nevertheless, seeing the gentle and grateful smile that Dai is given her makes her realize that she has been worried without a reason.

“I just did what I thought it was right, still… I did it too late and we couldn’t prevent the hiatus from happening,” Gou states as she drinks from her frappuccino.

“It’s not like this could have been avoided,” the man continues, “something would have brought us to this, either our breakup, or the movie, or any other situation, Shiki was too determined to go for the hiatus, we… or my actions brought him to the edge to choose the hiatus.”

Dai expresses, quickly he takes a bite from the pastry he ordered to avoid looking at the girl, while Gou stays in silence for a moment.

“Even if you say that it would have happened I still feel responsible,” the girl murmurs, “and what I talked to Sera-san… in case you want to know, I was honest to him and apologize for getting in the middle of your relationship, I shouldn’t have teared you apart, and I realize now that I haven’t apologized to you for that, so, I’m really sorry, Dai.”

The man looks surprise at Gou, and when he comes back to his senses he hurries to speak.

“There’s no need, you have apologized and…”

“Not sincerely for driving you to the point of letting go of the person you love,” she interrupts him and keeps her voice down, “Dai, I really wish I could change the past or that I could bring you and Sera-san back together, but I cannot.”

“Gou…”

“Therefore, please, tell me you will try again to talk to him, tell me you will try as much as you can to get Sera-san back as your lover, please, promise me that.”

Dai feels as his face is burning down for being so blushed, what is going on with Hino to talk in this way?

“The day I talked with him… that is the day I let go of my feelings for you because I know you two love each other, so please… promise me that.”

“I promise it,” there is not a single trace of hesitation in his words and even though he does not know what he can do to get Rikka back, Dai is now sure he will try it.

Gou smiles at him, listening to that level of certainty coming from Dai is sure reassuring and she feels that the moment of saying goodbye to Dai will be easier knowing that he will be back with the person he loves.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, chapter 30th didn't give us the end, but it's hinting that Dai and Rikka's break up won't last forever....   
For a moment I felt tempted of writing the ending with Dai and Gou as the couple that survided all this shit, but it wouldn't have been fair....  
Once again thank you so much for being around during the last year with this fic, I appreciate all the support <3   
PD: don't ever let me write a fic that I believe it is going to be a one shot just to discover 6 episodes later that nope, it's going to be way longer than a oneshot XD


	31. Chapter 31

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rehearsals for the concert have started, there is less time before SolidS' last concert happens.   
As they prepare for it, they know they are also getting closer for the time of their hiatus.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm happy I'm able to post today, but I'm sad I was not able to finish this fic on August as I wanted.... anyways...  
This is a much calmer chapter.... You know... to try to clean the path for the upcoming things....  
Thank you as usual for being around for so long with this fic, I really appreciate it!

**Chapter 31:**

The rehearsals have taken place throughout the week and at the locations that Hiwatari Association has reserved for them. Dai has been scheduled to practice mostly with Hino and Tsubasa as he would be performing his duets with his childhood friend, plus two of his solo songs. In addition, Hiwatari’s Association has been too specific that the concert will be mainly duets and solos as they wanted Gou and Dai to take the main spotlight; something that would not be too easy if SolidS take over the concert as a unit. Therefore, they will be only singing two of the songs that were composed for the movie as a unit.

“You are way too focused looking at her,” Tsubasa comments as he has come back from getting a couple of bottles of water.

“She is having some difficulties with the choreography, I’m just trying to see if there’s a way I can help her,” Dai replies and takes one of the bottles.

“Wanna be her senpai?” the blonde man teases him.

“Stop it… I just know how hard is to be about to debut and feeling insecure,” the younger adds as he remembers when the moment for SolidS’ debut was coming closer and he still felt uncertain about a lot of issues on his performance.

Tsubasa also reflects about that time, he remembers seeing Dai’s frustrated face; the despair on his actions as the day came closer and he still felt he was not at the same level of the rest of the unit. Even nowadays, Tsubasa still perceives how unsatisfied Dai gets to feel about most of his performances, but that is only because the younger member is such perfectionist who cannot realize that he is already way too good. As he wanted to keep thinking about those moments, when the unit’s problems were Dai’s insecurities, all of them trying to get along, and of course, his constant bickering with Shiki, he cannot. When he turns around, Tsubasa gets to feel way too much in the past.

“Aya-nee is right, you keep touching your shoulder, Dai, did that guy hurt you at that moment?”

“I keep telling her that I must be feeling stressed, that must be what’s going on,” Dai quickly defends himself and stop moving his arm to release the tension he feels on his shoulder.

“Shouldn’t we go to the doctor? We can go after the rehearsal…”

“Tsubasa, I’m fine, let’s actually start practicing one of our choreographies, we cannot keep seeing Gou rehearsing.”

“Fine, let’s go, but… if you touch your shoulder one more time, we’ll go to the doctor!”

Dai simply waves off the threat, he is always too conscious of his actions, so if all it takes for Tsubasa to believe that he is alright not touching his shoulder, then he will not touch his shoulder. They move to the other side of the practice room and play ‘Kiss me Quick’ on one of their cellphones to keep the volume in a low tone so they don’t interrupt the other side. They already know the dance, they have performed it a few times for some concerts; therefore, as the music starts playing, they start moving with familiarity, letting their bodies enjoy the melody as they focused on the right steps.

On the other hand, as Gou listens to another melody being played, she cannot avoid looking at the back part of the room where Dai and Tsubasa are practicing. The way they move, seeing how well they know each other to be sure on when the other is going to move and giving the right times for each other to take over the stage, Hino is hypnotized by all of that.

Internally, she wishes to reach that level before the concert, but since Hiwatari Association is a company that rushes everything just to keep all their talents active, she knows there is not enough time to get to that level. Not enough time for her to get to know and understand Dai a bit better.

“Hino-san, please, stay focused, Murase-san already knows his part for your duet, you still need to practice more!” the choreographer tells her fighting to get her attention back.

“Sorry, sorry, let’s go over it again,” she replies as she really tries to keep her attention.

Truth to be told, she could be good at many things, but following an established dance for a song was not of them. Hino keeps trying to memorize all the steps and avoid letting herself move freely in the way she wants. 

Hours go by, Tsubasa and Dai have gone through the duets, solo songs, and they have even practiced the two songs they will perform as a unit; this being the most difficult task as they also need to imagine Shiki and Rikka’s moves.

“Guess we can really nail it in the last rehearsal,” Tsubasa comments when they finish the fourth round.

“Seems like it,” Dai replies, “we will have just three times to rehearse all together next week, right?”

“Yes, and the concert will be on Saturday, we can totally do it,” the blonde man says with enthusiasm that quickly vanishes, “after that… the real hiatus.”

“Just two months…” the taller man whispers as he feels responsible for all the damage the unit is going through.

Tsubasa nods, they need to keep the high spirits and the motivation of being back together soon. Their small conversation comes to an end when they see that Hino has gotten closer.

“How did it go?” Dai asks her, he sincerely stopped paying attention once that he and Tsubasa started to practice on their own.

“Well… he did the trick and work…”

“The trick?” now it’s Tsubasa the one who asks with curiosity, since they have been seeing each other more frequently, the old rivalry was gone.

“The one that goes: ‘you’ll be a failure and Hiwatari Association won’t give you opportunities for a long time if you don’t get this right!’”

She speaks with a stern expression imitating the choreographer while Dai and Tsubasa look with shocked eyes at the girl.

“You know? Not all companies are all nice and supportive as Tsukino Talent Production, we really need to be outstanding to keep on the public eye.”

“Sorry,” both reply at the same time and she quickly waves it off.

“We should hurry, it took longer because of me and your sister will be there at any time.”

Dai nods and stands up, he then helps his friend to stand up as well. The men quickly move to their changing room, whereas Hino walks a bit slower feeling tired and defeating by the day. Since she has started to share a most honest time with Dai, she has also noticed that she is more sincere with her emotions and wonders if she could keep like this once that her life goes back to normal.

*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*

SolidS agenda has been practically null, there were only a few commitments that could not be cancelled even if they have made their hiatus officially in an internal level, and it was more than obvious than in less than four days all the members would be free from any responsibility under Tsukino Production. As the time to be free is getting closer, Rikka’s anxiety has also increased, he has never been the kind of person who has only free time, the options for travelling were out of question. He simply does not want to be away in case that the hiatus gets to suddenly end.

Although, he knows that that cannot happen if he does not get himself together and speak with Dai as soon as possible. Nevertheless, this time he cannot be called out as the only one to blame, Dai has been busy with more unexpected interviews, and commitments related to the movie. So far, their schedules have not matched at all for practices and all his rehearsals have been with just Shiki.

“You are all set, we just need to see all SolidS performing these two songs,” the choreographer happily announces, “it’s so different to work with people who know how to dance.”

Rikka and Shiki look at him with puzzle expressions without saying any comment, and since the man was not someone to keep secrets, he continues talking.

“Hino-san might be talented but let her try a choreography and she can be a disaster, hopefully there’s no need to start from zero today,” the man says knowing that today she has been scheduled to practice alone.

“Is there a real need to talk about me behind my back?” the woman practically yells as she enters the room with Dai.

Shiki and Rikka have thought that Munakata-san would stop there, but he does not. The man rolls his eyes and instead of apologizing demands the girl to hurry up and warm up. It is without a doubt an uncomfortable moment for SolidS members, slowly Dai gets closer to Shiki, he already knows that it does not matter if he wants to interfere to help, Hino will not allow him to do it.

“Has it been like this all the time?” Shiki asks the younger member in a low voice.

“Yes, hasn’t Tsubasa told you?”

“He did, but I didn’t believe him,” he replies and just when he is about to poke Rikka so he can also say something about it, a cellphone starts ringing, more specifically Rikka’s cellphone.

The man quickly excuses himself and asks Shiki to wait for him there. He takes his cellphone and leaves the room to go and answer the call. The leader sighs, it has been hard to get these two in the same place so they can actually talk, and now that there could be a chance, someone has ruined the opportunity.

“Something wrong?” Dai asks him clueless on what has gotten Shiki to feel so down all of a sudden.

“Not really, how do you feel for the concert? Are you ready?”

The younger nods, but then insecurity shows all over his face, “I know I’ll be ok with the duets and the solos…”

“What about the unit songs?”

“We haven’t practiced together… there are parts that I have to dance with Rikka…”

He confessed, even if Tsubasa has reassured him that Rikka also wants to solve everything, Dai still feels that the man will not forgive him so easily. Before the conversation can keep going, they move to take a seat, so they are not in the way now that Hino and Murata start going on with the practice.

“I understand,” Shiki comments and then sighs once again, “I may sound harsh on this, but you two are professionals, if you know how to differentiate your personal matters from your moments as a professional, there should not be a problem.”

Dai swallows hard, he knows that is true, but with each day going by, his mind has started to overthink about those tiny moments in which he has to held hands with Rikka, or just getting closer to him than any other person on the stage. What if any of them has one of those negative reactions? Like when Rikka hurt Hino in that photo session.

“Do you mind if I wait with you until Rikka comes back?” Shiki asks bringing him back from his thoughts.

“Not at all, it will feel good to have some company… they do argue a lot and it’s uncomfortable to just see them…”

Shiki wryly laughs, he has seen in the few time that he has shared with Hino, that she is a fierce woman; so of course she would not allow anyone to help her out and she will fight back with no hesitation to defend herself.

*¨*¨*¨*¨*¨*¨*¨*¨*¨*¨*¨*¨*¨*¨*¨*¨*¨*

Rikka has regretted the fact of not checking who was the person calling him as soon as he has answered the phone. On the other line, the person who has been trying to contact him for almost a month sighs in exasperation, but also in relief as soon as she finally heard her son’s voice.

“_Rikka! Why haven’t you called me back!!! I have left you countless messages and I don’t even know how many times I’ve called you in the last weeks!_”

Of course, the woman was not going to have any mercy and wouldn’t let him talk back so fast.

“_Tell me, what is going on? What are those rumors about Murase-chan dating this other girl?_”

The pink haired tries to hold his frustration, he has been avoiding this conversation, he wanted to wait until he could at least get back to being friends with Dai.

“_Rikka!!!_”

“Mother, please, calm down,” his voice breaks a bit and immediately he takes a deep breath to take control over his emotions.

“_Those are not simply rumors, are they?_” the woman expresses with extreme sadness in her voice.

“It’s complicated, it’s…” the pink haired man looks around, since he is in Hiwatari Association’s territory right now, he has to be careful on how he speaks, “it’s a fake relationship.”

He listens to his mother sighs of relieve, and so he knows he has to give the final blow as soon as possible, “but we did break up.”

There is silence, a terrifying silence that Rikka hates. Ever since his relationship with Dai has been known by his parents, Rikka’s mother has been the happiest with it as she has seen a slightly, but positive change in his son’s personality and lifestyle. The silence keeps going for such a long time that the man is the one who dares to speak more.

“I know I made the mistake of not letting you know sooner… but I didn’t know how to tell you, mother.”

“_Are you busy right now, Rikka?_”

“I just finished a dance practice, I guess after this I’ll go back to the dorms with Shiki.”

He replies, he needs to avoid talking about the hiatus; even more avoid telling her how he is probably going to be alone for a whole month as Shiki and Tsubasa have already scheduled activities for the next four weeks. Rikka is more than sure that if his mother knows about that, she will request him to go to visit her as soon as possible.

“Tell me at what time I can call you, I want you to tell me everything,” the woman speaks without giving the chance for a no.

“I guess… around 7:00pm.”

“_I’ll call you then, and please, answer the phone._”

“I’ll do…” he replies feeling as his energy has drifted away.

“_I love you, please take care my beautiful son._”

“Love you too mother, talk to you later.”

He slaps himself, why couldn’t he be more careful? Now explaining all this bullshit to his mother will be hell for sure. Rikka wants to scream, he has been going on so well ignoring the calls, letting them get lost, and he has ruined it in such a moment. Defeated by his mistake and by knowing that he will have to talk later with his mother, he goes back to the practice room to let Shiki know that they can go now.

When he goes in, he sees as Dai is the one who is dancing now with Hino, something he did not expect as the young man was not wearing the usual clothes for dance practice. He silently moves to where Shiki is sitting, watching the whole situation.

“We can go now,” Rikka whispers as he does not want to interrupt nor make anyone lose their concentration.

“Everything alright?” Shiki asks him and he quickly nods, “you look… paler? Any bad news?”

“A long conversation with my mother is waiting for me,” the pink haired man replies, and Shiki understands.

Even though he would have wanted to say goodbye to Dai in a better way and maybe try to get them to exchange some few words, the leader knows that the moment will have to wait. Especially since Dai seems to be totally focused on the dance to help Hino to improve her performance, a small smile shows on Shiki’s lips, the younger member of the unit has really gone through a long path to the point on becoming the one who can help his partner.

“What is it?” Rikka wonders as they are leaving the room.

“I just know that there’s still a lot more that SolidS can do,” the man replies, “it makes me feel that the following weeks are just the vacation time we deserve.”

Rikka looks back before closing the door, seeing as Dai moves with so much security, becoming the one who leads and not the one who follows. The pink haired man understands Shiki’s point, since a while ago they have always been in the same level, but probably Dai was the only one who hadn’t realized of that.

“I believe… all the movie project was for him to understand it, right?”

“When Haidzuki came to me with the proposal, I had my doubts,” Shiki expresses, “the main doubt was Dai’s personality, he is the insecure type, but as Haidzuki and the president kept mentioning the project and pressuring me to accept…”

“You wanted to bet for the best result,” Rikka concludes the idea.

“At the end, it was not a total lost, but I don’t feel satisfied either,” the leader adds as he opens the door of the changing room, “I’m sorry there were factors we did not consider.”

“No one would have ever considered the personal consequences, Shiki,” Rikka states, “we have always worked among the four of us, keeping our secrets, and just enjoying our time together, so there was no way to know.”

The leader nods, deep in his heart he knows that this is one of the biggest opportunities that Dai has had and that he needed so he could become more confident as an individual talent. Of course, he will always wonder if there could have been a way to dodge the bad parts of the story… mainly the fake relationship.

“I know you were trying to make us some time to talk today, Shiki,” Rikka suddenly speaks as they finish changing their clothes.

“Was I that obvious?”

“You still need to ask?” the pink haired man giggles looking at Shiki’s expression, “I appreciate the help, but I believe we cannot force the moment, I don’t want to wait weeks for this to happen, but I don’t want it to be seen as an obligation.”

“I understand, I won’t interfere anymore.”

Rikka nods, appreciating Shiki’s reaction.

*¨*¨*¨*¨*¨*¨*¨*¨*¨*¨*¨*¨*¨*¨*¨*¨*¨*¨*¨*¨*¨*¨*¨*¨*¨*¨*¨*

The time comes, and as punctual as ever, his mother calls him right at 7:00pm. Before answering the phone, he takes a deep breath and answers.

“_Hi dear,_” his mother’ sweet voice sounds on the other end, “_please, now, tell me all_.”

It was a clear and simply instruction, his mother will simply listen to all he has to say about things that have happened between him and Dai. The pink haired man sighs and replies with a quiet ‘yes’ as he starts putting his thoughts in order. Now that he has accepted that he is also responsible, that he has talked to Hino and has cleared up the situation with Kinomiya; he has a better view to try to explain all to his mothers.

It takes him almost forty minutes to go through all the last weeks, telling her how he has felt, how he has recognized his mistakes.

“_Rikka… I wish you could trust me more I know I let you go by your own when you were still too young, but look at all you’ve been through!_” his mother immediately exclaims as the he has reached the final point of the story as of right now.

“I… you know how I am,” he replies, “this movie project is about to come to an end, and I do plan to talk to Dai when this is all over.”

“_Rikka, you know this is all a misunderstanding, the whole issue was because of the lack of communication and…_”

“Mother, I know, but if what you want to say is that we should go back together… I don’t feel it that way,” Rikka interrupts her, “as of right now, I just want the unit to keep working without problems, I love what we do as SolidS and I want to keep going on with SolidS for a long time.”

Again, there is silence, Rikka waits for any response, but not hearing a sound from the other side makes him feel distressed.

“I just feel… it’s not the time for us to go back together…”

“_Why not?_”

“I’ve always had this feeling… of Dai getting tired of me, maybe he does need to have more relationships, maybe he does need…”

“_Stop right there, these are your insecurities speaking up again, I won’t force you to go back with him as a couple, but I do want you to be honest with your feelings and with what you want._”

Now, it’s Rikka the one who stays in silence, what does he want? How does he really feel? It has always been so difficult for him to embrace his most personal feelings, to accept them and vocalize them. Rikka sighs and throws himself on the bed, it’s not easy to be honest with himself, he has always known that.

“I believe you have a lot do tomorrow, so I better leave you now, but promise me Rikka, you will be honest with yourself.”

“I’ll do my best, mother,” the man replies, “take care.”

“You too take care, bye-bye.”

Rikka stays lying on his bed, how ironic, his mother hanging up the phone quicker than ever in case he has to work? Tomorrow is his free day due to the hiatus and he only had the three rehearsals for the concert scheduled for next week. He looks at the calendar and wonders how many days are going to be off for Dai.

“Does he have any days off? He is busier with the movie now… I didn’t think it would become such a big thing during the last couple of weeks,” he murmurs looking at the calendar.

At the end, he places the calendar away and sets his mind to make the time to talk with Dai after the concert. Once that they can forget about most of their obligations, their minds will be calmer to speak. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It was only fair to have one relative from Rikka' side to show up in the fic and also help to give him support and a bit more of perspective...  
Are they going to be able to speak after the concert? We will know in the next chapter!  
Once again, thank you!


	32. Chapter 32

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The moment has come, SolidS and Hino will perform in the concert to pomore the up-coming movie, but it seems like tragedies are not over when it is related to this project.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, hi, I wanted to post this on the weekend, but I was stubborn thinking I could finish a cosplay, I could not... and I was angry and until today I felt like writing...  
I feel it's also difficult for me to get to write the chapters as these are really the last events I need to write and so a hard moment is coming...  
Also, additional note that is necessary, I hope that it has been clear that the company I made up for this fic, Hiwatari Association is kind of really bad with their talents, it's not disorganized, but it pushes more than what is good their talents and yeah... makes a lot in a short period of time but demanding way too much...  
I'm getting angry at myself cuz I know I needed to say something else, but alas, I forgot

**Chapter 32: **

When the rehearsals were announced and he has heard that there would be three of them in which all of them were going to be together, Rikka has thought that he would have a chance to speak with Dai. Nevertheless, his plans did not work as he wanted, today is the last day of rehearsal and in every day the same has happened.

The choreographer, Munakata-san, has asked them to perform just as if they were in the concert. No chance to small chat, no chance for breaks, and once they have gone through the same routine three times; SolidS has been asked to leave as Hino and Dai need to practice more their duet.

“Shouldn’t we recommend him to let them go today? The concert is tomorrow, it’s pointless to make them feel exhausted,” Tsubasa expresses as they are right in front of the door.

“This is Hiwatari Association’s event, we cannot impose our opinion, but if our talent gets to be affected due to their stubbornness, we will take measures for sure.”

Tsubasa and Rikka look at each other, they notice that Shiki is also on the edge on how this so-called agency handles their talents time and routines. Unable to say anything else, they simply walk out of the room; Rikka turns around one last time and looks at Dai.

During the moments in which they practiced the unit’s songs, he could feel how hesitant Dai was about touching him, the younger man did not look at him in the eyes not even once. He has to admit it, he also feels intimidated, he also feels that he does not have the right to look at Dai in the eyes, but if they have this same mindset, they won’t be able to help SolidS.

Rikka sighs, maybe his heart will tell him when the right moment to talk is, and being honest, he did not feel like the time could be today.

“Rikka?” Shiki calls him when the leader sees that he has stay behind.

“Sorry, I got distracted.

“Worried too?” Tsubasa wonders out loud, “I mean, since my first practice with Dai I saw him out of his normal condition, and I still feel he is pretending to be alright.”

“Shut it, don’t be so paranoid,” Shiki states, slightly hitting Tsubasa’s head.

“Hey!” there’s no need for violence, and alright! I won’t be paranoid, but I really hope that if something happens Tsukipro gets to back us up even if we are on hiatus!”

“They will,” Shiki express with all seriousness and keeps his pace.

Even if SolidS is in an official hiatus with Tsukipro, Tsukipro is still their agency; the one that has to take care of them and jump against anyone who has dared to push one of their talents to a dangerous extreme.

*°*°°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*

It is almost 7:00pm when they are finally dismissed from the rehearsal, Munakata has been slightly satisfied with Hino’s performance. Nevertheless, the choreographer has asked them to show an hour before the agreed time for a last revision of their presentation.

“I’m sorry, you must not be used to this kind of stuff,” Hino states as they are going to Hino’s apartment.

“The choreographers at Tsukino are also strict, but we usually have more time to practice before an important presentation,” Dai replies, “so, this is basically the same, just that in a shorter period.”

“You’re just being kind, have you thought about my proposal for tomorrow?”

“Yes, I’ll talk with Aya-nee to let her know, it’ll be the best if I stay for tomorrow in your apartment.”

At the reply, Suminomiya cannot avoid looking at both talents through the rear-view mirror. Hino nods showing an excited smile, after weeks of pretending to live together, tomorrow will be the first day in which they will actually spend the night together.

“I… is it ok if I ask you not to mention this to the guys? Shiki will be one to understand, but I’m not sure about Tsubasa… even less about Rikka.”

Gou nods one more time, even if she knows that Dai and Rikka have not gotten back together, not even talk in all this time; she respects and understands the reason why Dai is asking her this.

“It’ll be our secret; I’ll make sure to have a lot of food so we can celebrate when we get back.”

“I believe I’ll be the one to get that food,” Suminomiya interferes the conversation to make the remark that the girl is not really the one taking care of it.

Hino puffs her cheeks, why is it that her manager does not let her take some credit?

“Don’t be like that, you make the list of what you want, and I’ll get it while you’re preparing for the concert, now you two have a good rest!”

The manager specifies as he parks the car in front of the building, Dai and Gou agree on the suggestion and get off the car. Knowing that there might be the chance of seeing Kimoniya, Gou looks for the key so they can go inside her apartment as soon as possible. As the elevator doors get to open, they run into a surprise, people from a moving company are packing and taking away Kinomiya’s stuff.

Hino and Murase stare in silence for a while, that is until one of the workers ask them if they are the ones from the next-door apartment.

“Yes, we are,” Gou replies a bit confused.

“Kinomiya-san asked me to give you this, he also said is a shame he couldn’t say goodbye personally, but wish you the best,” the worker expresses and goes back to his job.

“Thank you,” the woman weakly says and observes the envelope, “Well, this clearly has your last name and I’m no-where to be seen.”

Gou mentions and gives the object to Dai

“Would you keep it? At least after the concert, I don’t want to get distracted,” the man expresses, knowing how he has felt as a human rollercoaster with his emotions during the last months, he sees this as his best decision.

“I will.”

Before they could go inside, Dai’s cellphone rings, his sister is at the same place than usual. Trying not to get the workers’ attention, Dai waves goodbye to Hino and walks back to the elevator. Tomorrow without a doubt is a big day, the tickets for this concert were sold in less than ten minutes; of course, fans will be excited knowing that SolidS new material will be presented for the first time in this show since the CD has not been released yet. Therefore, they really need to give their best and make sure to have a good rest tonight.

*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*

Nights in the dorm have been a lot more calmed ever since the hiatus period with Tsukino started and even more when the other units have accepted that there was no turning back. All SolidS members have agreed and wanted this period to take a break and think about the future they want. Nevertheless, tonight is the opposite of a calm night.

Rikka is still awake, staring at his cellphone and thinking if a message would be fine to break the ice between him and Dai. Thinking about the rehearsals and how odd the movement among them felt, he knows that taking action is really necessary. Nevertheless, as it has happened for a while, he decides to procrastinate on this action and goes out to get some tea finding out that Tsubasa and Shiki are still up too and apparently having an argument.

“Tsubasa, Shiki?”

“Hey Rikka, please, support me on this, if I want to text Dai-chan to know how he’s doing, that’s not being paranoid, right?” the blonde man immediately jumps at him with the question.

“Let him rest, if you keep spamming him with messages, you’re also gonna make him feel stressed!” Shiki states before Rikka can even give his opinion.

“I’m not spamming him, I just want to know if Aya-nee has already pick him up and if he is alright,” Tsubasa responds and Shiki grunts.

“It’s better… it’s better if we all try to rest, tomorrow we have a big event and it’s for a different company, so we gotta give our best, right, Shiki?”

Shiki takes a deep breath, finally someone who makes sense as he does.

“As you see, you’re the only one who is not making sense, so time for you to sleep,” the leader comments as he snatches Tsubasa’s cellphone, “Dai must be already at his sister’s apartment, must likely sleeping, and here you are thinking about waking him up.”

It is obvious that Shiki does not know that Rikka was thinking about doing the same, messaging the youngest member of the unit. Nevertheless, with this conversation he has also given an answer to himself. It is better not to send any message, tomorrow he will make sure to talk to Dai before the concert.

*°*°*°*°*°*°**°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*

Since the moment she woke up, she has had a bad feeling, Aya has been looking careful at Dai to assure herself that there is nothing wrong and she is being uneasy for nothing. Once they leave their apartment, her head keeps going around the ‘bad feeling’ and knowing that she will not see her little bother until tomorrow makes her feel worst.

Aya parks the car and Dai is saying good-bye to her as usual, but before he gets off the car, she grabs Dai’s wrist.

“Is it something wrong?” the younger brother asks her.

“Did you make sure you pack everything? Are you really sure you wanna sleep here tonight?” she wonders, these are not really the issues that are bothering her, but it’s a way to start.

“I packed everything, and yes, I’m sure, the concert will be over around 8pm, but after that I had to go with Gou to Hiwatari Association’s location.”

“I can go and pick you up there,” she expresses, she wants to see him after the concert, not tomorrow.

“Aya-nee, I don’t know at what time the meeting will be over, and tomorrow we are leaving for the trip, it’s better if you take advantage today and rest as much as possible.”

Dai replies, but all these questions are also starting to make him feel nervous.

“Is there something else you want to say?” he questions her and tries to look her in her eyes, but she looks away.

“No, no, you’re right, I’ll buy the stuff we still need, and I’ll be here tomorrow at 7:00am so we can go together to the airport.”

“It’s a deal, take care, see you,” Dai tells her and goes to meet up with Hino.

Aya wishes that at the moment Dai left the car her bad feeling could have left as well, but it does not happen in that way. Even is she wanted to keep an eye on him all day, she cannot, as her time for vacation is closer, Aya also needs to finish some pending tasks at her office and of course, she needs to finish her preparations for the trip.

*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*

When Tsubasa, Shiki and Rikka get to the venue, they are surprised seeing that Hino and Dai are looking already tired, and how wouldn’t be that the case? Munakata has made them practice their part several times since Gou failed during the first practice. Immediately, Shiki goes to talk with the youngest member of SolidS.

“Isn’t there someone to put order in this? This is not appropriate for you nor Hino,” Shiki tells him as Tsubasa and Rikka are taking away by the dressers.

“Hiwatari-san came a while ago and was clear not to make us practice too much,” Dai replies as he takes some water, “but since Munakata’s work is on the edge, he needs this to be perfect.”

Listening to the vain explanation Shiki does not need any other piece of information, the leader starts walking towards the man, but Dai stops him.

“Shiki… we are not in a position to complain, we are here as part of the show, wouldn’t it be inappropriate if we complain or make a mess?”

The older man can see the fear in Dai’s eyes, of course, he will feel scared. The youngest member still has the memory of the problem he caused and does not want anyone else in the unit to go through the same. Shiki takes a deep breath, he knows Dai is right, but just seeing how awfully bad the situation has been handled makes him want to scream at someone.

“I will not make a scene, but please, you go with Tsubasa and Rikka, get change, and make sure to hydrate yourself.”

“Understood…” Dai replies, but looks at where Gou is, Munakata has not let her take a break yet.

“I’ll talk to him, you go.”

The younger man nods and leaves the room. On the other hand, Shiki walks towards the choreographer who keeps showing his frustration towards Hino.

“Hello, Hino-san, Munakata-san,” Shiki expresses trying to keep his voice in a normal tone, “I believe it’s time for you to go and get ready, Hino-san, Dai has already moved to our dressing room.”

“I don’t…”

“Just as being able to follow the choreography, it is important for her to have a good amount of time to get ready, take a break, drink some water, and be prepared, don’t you think, Munakata-san?” the leader interrupts him and states his point of view without hesitation.

“Takamura-san is more than correct, Munakata-san, I believe I told you to let them go 30 minutes ago, didn’t I?” Hiwatari Minako comes in and questions him, “I understand your work must be perfect, but they have to be in good conditions for the concert, Hino-san, please go.”

Hino gets closer to Shiki and with a soft whisper she thanks him for the help.

“I apologize for this situation, Takamura-san, is Murase-san doing alright?” Hiwatari questions him.

“I’ll go to verify that in a brief moment, but I hope we are clear that Hiwatari Association is responsible for anything that happens to him related to rehearsals, the concert or any other activity scheduled for the movie.”

“We do know, now I do believe you should also get ready, final testing of audio, lights, and video will begin soon.”

“I shall take my leave then, see you.”

Meanwhile, SolidS’s dressing room has become silent, as soon as Dai opens the door the conversation between Tsubasa and Rikka stops as they both stare at the new person coming in. Quickly, Tsubasa comes to his senses, looking at Rikka and then at Dai several times, and realizing that none of them will talk first, he stands up and moves towards Dai.

“Dai-chan!!! How are you feeling? Are you alright? Are you ready to have the main spot?”

“Main spot?” he questions with a hesitant voice.

“You’re going to be more time on stage that any of us, you are the only one performing 2 solos and 3 duets,” the blonde man clarifies, and it seems that Dai finally gets it.

Being busy with the rehearsals and trying to help Hino as much as possible, he didn’t consider the fact that he will be the main figure on SolidS’ end.

“Tsubasa…” Rikka calls him out and gets both men’s attention, “don’t… don’t make him feel nervous.”

The pink haired man states and then turns around to fix his hair style a bit; although the action is more of a reflex than something he really needs to do. Tsubasa smiles, even if it is a small phrase, it’s a good way to start a conversation, especially since Rikka was defending Dai.

It does not take long for Shiki to come in and so he and Dai also get to dress up with the outfits that have been designed for today’s concert. Shortly after, they all move together to the stage, where they are going to have one final rehearsal, including some of the MC conversations they will have between each song.

The order of the songs has been decided by Hiwatari Association, there was not much SolidS could say in favor or against it. Therefore, the concert will open with one of the unit songs, followed by the solo segment, starting with Dai, then Tsubasa, Shiki, Rikka, and Dai will be in charge of closing the segment as well. This will be followed by a short MC moment, in which Hino will come out to have some interaction with all the members and will introduce the duets, starting with Dai and Tsubasa, then Shiki and Rikka, this order will be repeated a second time.

Then, the most important moment for Hino, right after “Between the Sheets” finish, she will have to perform the duet for the movie with Dai. When their duet is over, Dai and Hino will leave the stage momentarily; the only one to go back almost right away will be Hino to talk a bit about the duet and her debut, of course something in which she does not have to go too deep as most of the fans in the venue are SolidS’s fans. As soon as she is over with her words, Dai will go up again so they can speak together about the movie, finally calling all of SolidS to go for the final song, which is the second song that all the unit performs for the movie.

“Hiwatari-san, your opinion please,” Minako asks her uncle as the rehearsal is over.

“Seems good, at least I’m not disappointed with investing a huge amount of money on this concert, and it will be good to get more revenue with the movie in general.”

Hino hates when all comments from Hiwatari Kei are related to money and not with the real performance of the talents. Nevertheless, she simply keeps her smile and then nods as a way of thanking the comment.

“Good, everyone, please go to your dressing rooms, and take a break, we will call out for you 20 minutes before the concert.”

SolidS and Hino leave the stage, the girl is finally showing more sincerely how exhausted she feels, but at least she is almost over with this part. As they walk in silence back to their dressing rooms, Dai gets closer to her.

“Is Suminomiya-san going to wait with you?”

“Ah, no, he is really buying the stuff, you know…” she answers without given too many details so the guys don’t get to know that Dai will spend the night at her place, “I’ll stay alone, don’t worry, I can sleep while we wait for the concert.”

“Are you sure?”

Hino nods and when they reach her room, she smiles at Dai and makes a gesture so he can keep moving on with SolidS. The young man understands and does not insist anymore, walking a bit behind the rest of his partners. When the door is opened, Tsubasa let out a scream of frustration which is follow by Shiki grunting. Dai only looks at the scene confused, but then he dares to ask.

“What happened?”

“What??? Don’t you feel frustrated with the way these people handle a whole show? Thinking only about the money, assembling a concert in just 2 weeks so they don’t have to lose money in paying their talents and all the staff involved!? And I can keep going on.”

Tsubasa states as he pulls his hair.

“We are definitely blessed for being part of Tsukino,” Rikka states.

“We are,” Dai softly whispers.

“Let’s talk about this later, for now, let’s try to rest.”

The leader instructs them, the faces of feeling unpleased are not easy to hide, nor any of them want to hide them. However, they do as Shiki has said and focused on having a good rest. Rikka also keeps trying his best to start a conversation with Dai but having Tsubasa and Shiki there is not making it easy. Time goes by, and they can start feeling as the time for their presentation approaches, this concert has a very different emotion for them.

They are not under Tsukino’s production, they know it will be their official final show until their situation can be solved, and so after this, all member of SolidS will have period of uncertainty.

“Let’s do what we know, give our best and make the fans want more of us,” Tsubasa suddenly expresses as he feels the heavy environment and the need to say something that can motivates them all.

“Let’s do it,” Rikka quickly joins looking at Tsubasa, Shiki, and lastly Dai.

The younger member nods and looks down at where all of them are putting their hands together.

It does not take long for a staff member to come for them and ask them to follow him. As they walk through the halls, already accompany with Hino, they can listen to the crowd, the fans seem to be more excited than usual; and who can blame them? SolidS has not been working on the SoliRaji as usual, and they have not been in any show together for almost 3 months; it is only logical that their most loyal fans are desperate to see them again all together.

10 minutes before the show and seeing that no one from the official staff will give some words of encouragement as they use to do in every Tsukipro event; Shiki is the one that asks them to gather. Including even Hino.

“It’s the first concert between Hiwatari Association and Tsukino Talent Production, let’s give our best for both companies, and most importantly, for our fans.”

The leader states and all of them nods, they are finally showing smiles reflecting how eager they feel to go on stage. As the cue is giving, SolidS takes over the stage, an energetic melody can be heard through out the place and the fans immediately loses their minds. Gou observes the first song from backstage, seeing how they dance together, the way they sing, how they feel the music and how they are capable of sending out that happiness through their fans.

The song is a huge success, she can tell for how much the fans are screaming, seeing the bright smiles on each one of SolidS members. The desire on her heart to be able to create the same emotion grows stronger with every passing second. Then, the lights go off, a blue spotlight illuminates the center of the stage and the second song begins keeping the audience excitement to the max, which is the constant through all the solo songs.

As Dai’ second solo comes to an end, Hino and the rest of SolidS get ready to go on stage.

“Hello everyone!!!! Are you enjoying the show???!!!” Gou screams out loud as she comes out for the first time, thankfully the response is still eager and overjoy even if she is the one talking, “there’s still more to come, so keep up the energy!”

“True, true, it’s been a while since we were able to gather with so many fans, we are so happy to have you all here!” Tsubasa continues.

“Right? It’s always nice to have the chance to see you all,” Rikka quickly comments and there’s a pause.

Shiki and Dai look at each other, apparently one of them needed to talk at that moment.

“Hey leader, don’t you see Dai-chan still needs some time to get some air?” Tsubasa is quick to recover the lead and even joke between them.

“Don’t call me Dai-chan,” the youngest adds as he turns around to cough a bit and trying his best to muffle the sound.

“Sorry, sorry, I’m a bit… nostalgic? It’s great to be all together and to have the chance to introduce a new talent,” Shiki says, and they all look at Hino.

“Kyaa… don’t look at me at the same time, it’s too much pressure, and you must give love to your fans, not me,” the girl states and she scores a positive point with the fans.

“In that case, should we keep going? Are you ready for more? do you want more? show us that you want us more?”

Tsubasa expresses and the crowd screams echo through the venue and without more words, the second part of the concert start with Dai and Tsubasa performing ‘Grave of Lovers.’ The good rhythm and environment keep going until the last duet in charge of Shiki and Rikka.

Before going to the stage to perform the duet with Hino, Dai starts again to show a certain level of uncomfortability, quickly Tsubasa gets to him to talk some words before the song.

“Dai-chan, are you alright? Is it hurting somewhere?”

“I’m just tired, nothing too serious,” the man expresses and moves forward to the stage.

As the final notes of ‘Between the Sheets’ are heard, the stage turns black, and then two lights are directed on opposite directions, allowing one of the new songs to start. Dai’s strong voice hits the first notes, reaching to the fans in a powerful way and suddenly his voice is accompanying by a soft mellow tone coming from Hino. Both talents are totally focused on their dancing and singing. The woman slowly feels as her mind and body get to connect in the proper way with Dai allowing her to perform in an outstanding way that was never seen during the rehearsals. The idol smiles with tenderness at Gou, he always knew she will be able to perform their song without a problem and just as they find the perfect balance between them, the song reaches its end.

Gou is more than glad to see the audience’s reaction, to hear the crowd madly yelling, her debut as an idol has gone great. Unfortunately, she cannot celebrate a lot as she has to go back to the stage.

“Have you enjoyed the show so far?!” she asks with enthusiasm, but feels as her voice breaks by the end of the phrase, quickly she makes a remark about it, “as you see, I’m nervous, but excited, and I’m still shaking and you know? we still have one more song to go which I know you will all love!!!”

Hino feels as she has overcome one of the biggest obstacles for not giving away how hard is for her to control right now, she let the fans scream for a while and then she keeps going.

“Let’s call someone who is very dear to me, and I know for all of you too, I know most of you will call him ‘Dai-chan’ and so, I’ll make an exception for today, let’s call him all together,” she counts down with her fingers and so when reaching one everyone screams the idol’s name.

Dai goes back on stage, internally praying that they can be over soon as tiredness is already getting to a point that he cannot control.

“Thank you all,” the man says, “I want to kindly ask you to cheer for Gou-chan as she just made her debut as an idol.”

The man request and the whole venue is filled with applause and some yells of excitement. Quickly and taking advantage of the emotion, Hino and Murase start talking about the movie, about the feelings that were embodied in the song and that will be stronger and more passionate once that the audience gets to be able to watch the movie.

“Thank you, thank you all,” Hino says and moves into the next part, “now, let’s not wait anymore and let’s call the rest of SolidS.”

“Shiki, Tsubasa, and Rikka, please join us,” Dai feels as his voice slightly shakes when he mentions Rikka’s name but hopes that no one has noticed.

“Hey, hey, we’re reaching the end!!!” Tsubasa says full of energy and getting the fans more excited, “now Hino-chan, we were wondering something backstage, what is your favorite SolidS song?”

Truth to be told, only he has been wondering that, but he wanted to get some more realistic conversation that the things that were given to them. Of course, this makes the woman feel a bit confused, but she is fast to overcome the shock as she grins and looks with a mischievous expression at the camera.

“I bet all of you are expecting me to say ‘Jinsei Hard Mode,’ ‘Squall’ or ‘Phantom Drive,’ she speaks as her gesture changes from mischievous to dramatic, “but, no… sorry Dai-kun, my favorite song is ‘Adonis,’ I was dying to see Dai-kun and Sera-san performing the song today, but it was not possible.”

Both talents are speechless, Rikka looks confused at Hino and then at Shiki and Tsubasa, knowing that this has just created an awkward moment. Nonetheless, Dai did almost the same, just that in his case he stares at Hino.

“I believe… Dai-chan and Rikka are too shocked to reply,” the blonde man tries to joke.

“Sorry, sorry, maybe in another concert you can get to see ‘Adonis’ live version.” Rikka comments and Dai simply nods.

“I hope so, it is truly my favorite song, so much love and passion in those lyrics, and the music, totally lovely,” Gou adds and then clears her throat, “I apologize, my fangirl side has hit strongly, but now it’s the final moment, I know you were all waiting for this, the last song, and part of our movie, ‘Forbidden Desire’!!!!!”

She leaves the stage and moves back, once again she wants to observe every movement, and the way they perform each word of the lyrics.

The song starts, the mysterious way in which the instruments and the lyrics mix up together drive the fans crazy. The voices start giving a sense of passionate and lustful love which fits perfectly for the movie and SolidS style. The choreography shows their sexiest side as they move throughout the stage. Nevertheless, it can be seen that Rikka and Dai’s minds are still divagating on Hino’s statement about ‘Adonis.’

Reaching the final point, there is a part in which Tsubasa and Rikka have to change sides, passing right next to Shiki and Dai respectively as they have to pretend to reach out for them while spinning. However, when Rikka is spinning next to Dai the latter notices that the pink haired man has tripped and is about to fall. Rikka mentally curses as he sees there is no way for him to stop the fall, but Dai reaches him just in time, forcing his movement and holding Rikka with his left arm and pulling him up, Dai holds his scream, he knows something has gone terribly wrong for him as his shoulder cracks and he does not feel it in the right place anymore.

The dance keeps going for a bit, more jumping, more spinning, and the final kick that is the perfect closure as the music goes off.

The crowd screams, the fans have loved the song and they cheer with all their hearts for the show they have just seen. A memory they will not forget.

The opposite goes backstage, as Dai stays numb, too afraid to touch his left shoulder or just look at it. Tsubasa who noticed the action Dai did during the song, hurries towards his childhood friend taking off the microphone in his way, when he gets to be side by side with Dai, he helps his friend to take a seat on the ground.

“Can you move it?”

Dai does not say a word, instead he shakes off his head and finally let some grunts out as well as some tears.

“Call an ambulance,” Shiki requests once he has understood what happened in that movement.

It was obvious this could happen, the little time they had to practice together, all the hours Dai was asked to rehearse, and who knows what else was happening to him in the moments they couldn’t see him. Tsukipro has always considered the old injure to make sure this will not happen. However, in the case of this so-called agency, they didn’t care, all they wanted was their money and make productions as fast as possible to keep their talents active and their revenue growing.

“Dai…” Rikka whispers kneeling by the man’ side, “Dai… I’m… I’m so sorry.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... it was obvious I was going to target at Dai's shoulder sooner or later XDD... also ... it's not gonna be too bad.. I've been reading about shoulder injures, so it's not going to be too tragic... plus I'm the living proof that there are injures that are not so bad.  
Also, I needed someone to suffer the pain of having the chance of being in a SolidS concert and not seeing her favorite song performed in the concert... why, why Phantom Drive and not Squall????  
Also, Rikka and Dai are finally speaking... well... a bit XD  
Thank you for reading!  
(I know you all don't care, but small summary of my shoulder injured: I was playing handball, my position was not the position in which you try to score a goal, but I didn't care, I prepared myself, I thought I was in a good position, I jumped, threw the ball, scored the goal, but left my arm up and felt in the worst position ever, my shoulder went to the wrong place I perfectly felt when it did not go to the right place, BUT the nurse said it was nothing although I told him I couldn't lift my arm, then my dad (who at that time didn't like girls playing "male sports") was like: your cousin said it's nothing, so no need to go to the hospital... my cousin the doctor who didn't even see me, she just heard how I was feeling from my dad... anyways I didn't go to the dr, and I spent a whole week feeling that my bones were in the wrong place, I could barely write or draw back then... I don't even remember how long it took for it to stop hurting for real... and funny fact... if I move my right shoulder you can hear it cracking and if my shoulder is exposed you can see the bones being misplaced when moving XD... so yeah... Dai is not gonna go through that way)

**Author's Note:**

> I kind of know how to keep this going, but it will take me some time to get it into words XD, thank you for reading!


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